Love in an elevator
by Crikeywhathappened
Summary: Yuuki is 19 and living in Tokyo with Yori. When she forgets her essay she gets stuck in an elevator with a handsome stranger. Why does he seem so familiar? And what will Yuuki do when he discovers she's a vampire? AU KanamexYuuki Read and review complete. I've been repeatedly told to add that the characters are more than a little OOC, hopefully you don't mind too much.
1. Chapter 1

**Love in an elevator.**

_**I thought of the idea for this story while on guitar hero Aerosmith. **_

_**I might keep this going depending on whether or not people like it.**_

_**So here goes, oh and by the way, I own nothing to do with Vampire Knight or it's characters if I ever see the woman who does I would go all fan girl on her. Lol :D**_

Stepping out of their two bed roomed apartment in Tokyo Japan, 19 year old Yuuki Cross and her best friend/roommate Sayori Wakaba were giggling about something that Yori had said before leaving the door.

"Yori! Oh my gosh I can't believe you did that to Jamie" Yuuki said trying to sound serious but failing miserably and collapsing against the wall while Yori locked the door before giving the key to Yuuki who slipped it into the back pocket of her jeans..

"Well, he had it coming. What did he expect? We were having a really good time last night he was sweet and funny and very cute and then he had to go and spoil it by trying it on with me. Of course I slapped him." She tried to look innocent at this statement but grinned manically and joined Yuuki in fits of laughter.

"Yeah I suppose you're right" Yuuki replied "but still I think you might have hit him a bit too hard"

"Why do you say that?" Yori asked sounding confused

"I saw him this morning when I went for milk while you where in the shower and he looked like he'd been jumped by a couple of wrestlers! His cheek was swollen to the size of a melon" Yuuki answered now actually showing concern.

They had now reached the elevator. Yuuki pushed the down button and adjusted the strap of her bag so that it was fully on her shoulder making sure that she didn't drop the huge file she was carrying "Boy, university sure had a lot of work involved".

"Oh my gosh! Really? Maybe I should apologise I mean he was just showing that he liked me. I feel really bad now. What do you think?" Yori rushed this sentence out but Yuuki understood …..Just!

"Well you'll see him today in History won't you. He sits right next to you, you can apologise then" Yuuki replied half-heartedly she was busy searching in her bag for something.

The elevator doors slid open and Yori and Yuuki walked in. Yuuki was still searching in her bag so Yori pushed the ground floor button.

"You're right. Thanks Yuuki" Yori said then trailed off into silence no doubt thinking of a way to apologise to Jamie. "What are you looking for?" she inquired.

"My essay" Yuuki responded sounding desperate. "For philosophy and ethics, I can't find it"

The elevator came to a halt and Yuuki and Yori stepped out before they were trapped by a gang of boys just coming in from a night on the town. All looking extremely tired and hung over. Yuuki walked over to the seating area and dropped her bag onto the table and randomly started pulling out files, folders, notebooks, pens and highlighters until the bag was almost completely empty.

"Kuso!" (Fuck) Yuuki cried out "I must have left it on the kitchen counter"

Yori looked at her sympathetically "I told you to remember it at breakfast"

"I know" Yuuki said exasperatedly "but I was busy looking for my shoes"

"I'll have to go back and get it. I've no choice it was due yesterday I promised it'd be in today" Yuuki sighed and began to repack her bag "Do me a favour?"

"Sure, what?" Yori replied half laughing at her friends' forgetfulness

"Make sure you tell Sensei why I'm not there and tell him I'll be in after I catch the next train. I should be in before ethics if I'm not, ring me I'll have no doubt gotten lost" Yuuki laughed and started back towards the elevator.

"Ok Yuuki, don't be long. See you later" Yori turned her back and walked to the door

"Bye Yori!!" Yuuki shouted and turned to wave her friend out of the door.

Pushing the up button, Yuuki shook her head "Of all days to forget something it had to be today" she thought to herself. The elevator doors slid open and she stepped inside followed by an old man she knew lived on the 5th floor and a 13 year old boy from floor 11. Both departed before Yuuki left the elevator until she was all alone. For some people being stuck in this kind of situation would make them uncomfortable but Yuuki had lived in the building for nearly a year since she left home and so was used to walking the corridors alone. When the lift reached the 16th floor Yuuki stepped out and took her key from her back pocket and unlocked the door.

Walking into the apartment Yuuki was greeted by the familiar sight of teenage mess scattered all over the living room. Yoris clothes from the night before where draped over the back of the sofa. Yuukis takeaway rubbish had been left on the table and all sorts of magazines and hair products littered all the other flat surfaces. The only clear surface in the room was Yoris desk, which she had to keep pristine if she was to be able to study. This puzzled Yuuki as she preferred to spread all her materials all over her bedroom floor and do her essays while listening to very loud music and the idea of cleanliness while studying was, in her eyes, unacceptable. Yuuki walked into the kitchen and looked over to the counter nearest the fridge and found her essay. She picked it up and re-read the title "Explain in detail the idea of "without war peace cannot exist"". Yuuki sighed "I'll fail this, I spent all night doing this and I'll still fail. Why did I have to fall asleep?"

"Ah well, no point in staying around here much longer" Yuuki thought to herself before making for the door. However, on her way past the fridge Yuuki gave into the temptation and grabbed a few pieces of chocolate from Yoris secret stash.

Munching happily Yuuki made her way to the door. Stumbling over various obstacles until she finally tripped over the wire from Yori's phone charger. Grumbling Yuuki stood up and opened the door. Moving into the false light of the hallway Yuuki turned and locked the door, taking one last look at the familiar mess of her home and made for the elevator.

Once again Yuuki pushed the down button of the elevator and stepped back, waiting. After a minute or two the elevator bell went and the doors slithered open. If Yuuki had been looking up and not searching in her bag once more this time for a hair band she may have noticed the man standing silently in the corner.

"Which floor?" The man asked Yuuki.

"Whoa!" Yuuki half screamed "You scared me" she laughed

So did he. "Gomen. Which floor are you going to?"

"Ground please" Yuuki replied shyly

He pushed the button and they fell into silence once more as the doors clanged shut.

"I know him from somewhere" Yuuki thought "but where?"

Lost in confusion Yuuki did not realise the lift slowing until it abruptly halted and grinded to a full stop half way between floors 12 and 13. The lights went dead.

"Oh no! What now?" Yuuki wailed

The man in the corner pushed the alarm button calmly and after a few minutes of silence in the elevator a voice issued from the speaker. "Gomen-nasai. It appears we've encountered a technical difficulty, we'll try and fix it as soon as possible but in the mean time make yourselves comfortable" The voice in the speaker died and Yuuki groaned

"Why me?" Yuuki asked speaking to no one in particular besides the ceiling of the elevator "What have I ever done to you?" She leaned against the wall and slid down into a sitting position. Slowly she removed her bag from her shoulders, dropping her file and readjusted her skirt.

"Bad day?" The man asked softly causing Yuuki to look up at him.

Now that she looked at him he was little older than she was maybe 20, 21 at the most and had the most gorgeous cinnamon coloured eyes Yuuki had ever seen. He was tall and muscular with dark hair which fell to his shoulders. Yuuki blushed.

"The worst. And it's only…." Yuuki flicked back the sleeves of her jacket to reveal a small, delicate silver watch. "11:30" Yuuki sighed and placed her head on her knees.

"Why? What's happened?" his voice was soft and caring. Yuuki bushed some more but did not understand why so rather than cause further embarrassment she spoke to her feet.

"Well it was all fine when I got up but then we ran out of milk, I couldn't find my shoes, my bag ripped and I left my essay on the kitchen counter making me miss the train and be late for university and get into a elevator that ha snow broken down" Yuuki spoke extremely fast as she always did when she was on a rant. So it came as a surprise when the man seemed to understand what she had said.

"Wow. Poor you. Well keep your chin up I'm sure it will get better from here on out" he added cheerfully.

At that moment the voice of the maintenance guy filled the almost empty elevator. Yuuki looked up. "Gomen. But we seem to be out of power in your area we're unsure why. It looks like you could be stuck in there for a while. Will you be ok in there?" The man sitting next to Yuuki tilted his head upwards and said "Yeah we'll be fine. Arigato."

"No problem" the voice box said happily and the speaker went dead.

"Fine? FINE!!!" Yuuki thought "No way will I be fine. I need to get this essay in. I just hope Yori tells sensei" At this Yuuki gasped and started searching in her bag for her mobile. When she found it she pulled it out and checked the signal. She groaned "none. Typical I get stuck in a lift and there's no signal"

"Gomen if I seem rude but what were you saying" Yuuki asked politely but sarcastically

The man chuckled and said "Yeah I sort of look at bit stupid now. Ah well won't matter at least we're not alone. That's got to be something"

"Yeah I suppose you're right." Yuuki chuckled lightening up a bit and relaxing. She leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes. She sensed him staring at her and opened her eyes again. She almost gasped at the beauty of his eyes the sparkle of them made Yuuki smile and the colour and intensity of his stare made her blush and get butterflies in the pit of her stomach. "Who is this guy?" Yuuki mentally asked herself.

As if answering her question the man announced "My name is Kuran Kaname"

"Nice to meet you, Kaname-senpai. I'm Cross-Yuuki" She reached and shook his extended hand

"I know who you are" Kaname whispered

Yuuki was confused "How? Have we met before?"

"Yes" he replied "You probably don't remember me. We went to the same junior school for a while before my parents pulled me out"

Yuuki frowned trying to remember.

"I'm sure you'll remember if you think of the short curly haired boy who hung around with Akatsuki Kain and Hanabusa Aidou" He laughed at the memory

It dawned on Yuuki and she was greeted with a flash back of her as a very young girl playing in the sand pit with a older boy throwing sand. He was cute even back then.

Yuuki laughed out loud. "Oh yeah now I remember! Gosh, that was a long time ago. What happened to your hair?"

Kaname smiled "They sort of grew out "

Yuuki smiled up at him and was once again captivated by his eyes. How could she have not have remembered those eyes.

"Gomen for not remembering you" Yuuki added shyly, embarrassed at her memory loss

"It's not a problem after all it was a long time ago. The only way I remembered you was the way you twined about your day….no offence meant" He hastily added

"None taken jerk" Yuuki was laughing and Kaname joined in.

"Bitch! Gomen" Kaname stopped smiling when he insulted her and looked away ashamed of himself

"Seriously you haven't changed one bit. You're still as nice as you used to be. Never had a bad thing to say about anyone. Well except Zero but you guys never got along" Yuuki drifted off into another daydream

"Oh yeah how is Kiryuu-kun these days?" Kaname asked with apparent interest

"Not bad" Yuuki said hesitantly after all she had to be careful considering Zeros present condition "He works at Cross academy with my father"

"Really? I may see him then. I plan to go to the academy to speak with the chairman" Kaname thought out loud "We have some business to discuss" answering Yuuki before she asked the question.

"Oh" Yuuki spoke softly not wanting to press the subject. The fell into silence once again.

After an hour of catching up and talking about random everyday things. Yuuki began to feel hungry. Not a good sign when she was trapped in a elevator.

Calmly she pulled a flask from her bag. The tinted plastic of the bottle disguised to colour of the substance within. You see Yuuki Cross is not your average 19 year old girl she is in fact a pureblood vampire. However, being raised by Cross Kaien she learnt his ideologies and believed in pacifism, peace between humans and vampires, because of this she did not drink human blood and instead settled for a blood tablet supplement. She carelessly removed the lid of the flask and began to drink.

The faint scent of blood filled the air unnoticeable to humans but strong to vampires.

"Is that blood?" Kaname asked

Yuukis eyes widened in shock and she nearly spat the contents of her mouth over the opposite wall. However, she swallowed the substance with difficulty and as a result coughed and spluttered her way through the next minute. One she had finished, she answered Kaname, panting.

"No!" she said panicking "Who drinks blood? That's disgusting" she knew she wasn't convincing anyone but hoped to Kami that she was not about to be found out. She did not want to kill this guy.

"Don't lie to me Yuuki" Kaname said menacingly. Looking at him Yuuki gasped when she saw that the once cinnamon eyes had turned crimson with bloodlust.

"Kaname-senpai? You're a Vampire?" Yuuki asked cautiously

"A pureblood actually. You seem shocked Yuuki. Did you not know?" Kaname asked calmly but his eyes were still glowing

"No." Yuuki said slightly scared

"Join the club. I did not know about your little secret. Have you always been a vampire, Yuuki?"

"Yes. But my mother hid the vampiric side of me when I was young. I was reawakened a little over two years ago by my uncle. I too am a pureblood" Yuuki explained

"Oh. Well now will you answer my question …What's in the flask?" Kaname hissed

"If you must know. It's a blood tablet solution, father gives them to me so that humans and vampires can co-exist peacefully" Yuuki replied rather angry.

Yuuki stood under the pretence of altering her clothes although she was really trying to put some distance between herself and the gorgeous vampire seated near her feet before the scent of blood drove them both into a frenzied state of lust.

The red of Yuukis eyes was slowly beginning to appear. Something that did not go unnoticed by Kaname so he stood up and walked over to Yuuki placing his face close to hers and looking her in the eyes.

"What's the matter Yuuki? Why are you moving away from me?" Kaname cooed annoyingly

"Don't treat me like a kid Kaname-Sama! You might be a pureblood but so am I your powers of persuasion don't work on me!" Yuuki shouted

"For you I have different ways!" Kaname whispered.

However, before Yuuki had time to ask what he meant by that she was being forced against the back wall of the elevator. Kaname's hands wrapped around Yuukis wrists and pinning her to the wall.

"Kaname-Same, What are you doing?" Yuuki gasped as the impact of her back on the wall knocked the air out of her

Kaname did not answer but instead placed his lips roughly onto Yuukis, who, to her own surprise, found the experience rather pleasurable and started to kiss him back.

Kaname and Yuuki continued kissing for around 5 minutes. Passionately speeding up and increasing the intensity of the kiss until the need for air forced them to break apart. Panting they stared lustfully into each others eyes. Both pairs of eyes burning blood red. Yuuki slid along the wall in a fake attempt to escape what she really wanted was Kaname all around her and she got her wish as he blocked her path which meant that Yuuki had no choice but to back into the corner. Kaname closed the gap between their bodies and placed his hands around her small waist pulling her towards him. He playfully picked her up and Yuuki threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into another passionate embrace. Yuuki felt her back press up against the two walls and slowly slid her slender legs around Kaname's muscular torso which made the gap between them even smaller.

Brining her hands to rest on the sides of his neck, Yuuki felt Kaname's smooth skin under her fingertips as she traced the outline of his collarbone from the base of his neck to his strong shoulders. She then let her fingers follow the line of his muscle down to the place where the material of Kanames shirt joined and covered the rest of his gorgeous body. Slowly, Yuuki started to unbutton his black shirt. First one button then two, then three until only the very bottom button was fastened as this was inaccessible to Yuuki in their current position.

Kaname slowly worked his way down the side of Yuukis neck grazing her skin with his elongated fangs and continued down to her collarbone. Yuuki sighed and moaned in pleasure as his breath on her skin sent shivers down her spine. Kaname brought his hand from Yuukis waist and let it hold her slender thigh that was still greedily wrapped around his wait. Stroking her creamy skin he continued to kiss Yuukis neck and the exposed skin of her chest and shoulders. Deeming it safe let go of her waist he carefully leant back and allowed Yuuki to unfasten the last button of his shirt.

Yuuki quickly took advantage of the situation and slid the black shirt off his broad shoulders and let it fall to the floor. Kanames well toned, tanned torso was now on show for Yuuki and she did not hesitate to place light butterfly kisses all the way along his neck and shoulders. Every part of his skin that she could reach was kissed until Kaname hissed his approval.

At this point Yuuki leaned back against the wall and Kaname leaned in for another passionate kiss. Tracing his tongue along Yuukis top and bottom lip he was silently asking Yuuki for access to her mouth which she granted. As their tongues entwined the kiss became even more passionate and Yuuki gripped Kanames waist tighter with her legs and Kanames grip on Yuukis thigh became stronger as he raised his hand and started to slowly unfasten Yuukis white blouse. When it was completely unfastened Kaname broke the kiss (much to Yuukis disappointment) and leant back to admire the view. Yuuki's stomach was flat and toned, her skin a pale, creamy white was enhanced by the Midnight blue of her bra and the ripples of the loose shirt hanging from her shoulders made the sight, in Kanames eyes, absolutely gorgeous.

"Wow!" Kaname whispered "You're gorgeous! You look incredible"

Yuuki blushed. Kaname drank Yuuki in with his eyes and when he had looked his fill raised his head and took hold of Yuukis exposed waist. Pulling her, again, into a kiss. Sure that she had a tight grip on him and he on her Kaname backed away from the corner slightly so that Yuuki could drop her arms and allow the silk material to fall to the floor in a crumpled heap. Hastily, Kaname pushed Yuuki into the corner once more and kissed her passionately. Their lust for one and other increasing with each passing second. Yuukis hands explored Kanames toned and smooth back while his stroked her waist causing her to giggle when he reached a ticklish area.

"Kaname-Sama that tickles" Yuuki smiled and returned to kissing the darkly angelic vampire barely an inch from her. She could feel his smile as he kissed her like no other man had done.

When air became a necessity not a luxury Kaname and Yuuki broke apart. The red of their eyes now brighter than ever, their lust peaking. Yuuki leaned into Kaname neck and gently kissed, sucked and nibbled the skin. However, through their action during the past 20 minutes had caused her fangs to grow and inch longer and so she unintentionally drew blood from the vampires neck.

"Gomen. Kaname-Sama" Yuuki whispered before licking off the bloody trickling down his neck. The blood tasted delicious and Yuuki lapped up every drop before continuing towards his ear and whispering five words into it.

"Kaname-Sama, I want you!"

This sentence had two effects on the lust-filled vampire. One: It sent pleasurable shivers down his spine and two: cause him to groan hungrily and pull Yuuki into their most passionate kiss yet.

Things probably would have gotten much more heated between the two vampires if it hadn't been for the sudden interruption.

The lights suddenly came back on and the elevator grinded into life. The maintenance mans voice filled the elevator once more.

"We've got the power back. Turns out a mouse had chewed through the fuse box of your sector. The elevator will take you to the ground floor now" The voice died once more.

Filled with lust only seconds ago, Yuuki was now panicking. Looking at the dial she found that they were already at floor 8.

"Kuso!" Yuuki hissed

She loosened her legs from around Kanames waist which cause him to let go of her. Yuuki hastily retrieved her blouse from the floor and quickly put it on clumsily fastening each button. Kaname looked as disappointed as Yuuki felt and glumly picked up his shirt and calmly fastened the buttons.

Yuuki scrambled around picking up her file, bag and flask and speedily composed herself. Now slightly embarrassed over what had happened in the elevator Yuuki was desperate to get away from Kaname Kuran.

The elevator grinded to a halt and the doors slid open. Yuuki rushed out and almost ran for the door. She was desperately late for University now and her essay needed to be handed in.

Blushing a deep shade of red, she shouted goodbye to Kaname.

"Until we meet again, my dear Yuuki" Kaname whispered before heading left to the far door and exiting onto the street.

_**Well that's it. Like I said this is a one-shot unless people want me to carry on.**_

_**Hope you liked it. And if you didn't Gomen but this is my first time writing like this. Review either way please.**_

_**Adios muchachos! (No I'm not Spanish just very very weird)**_

_**XxXxXxXxX**_


	2. Chapter 2 a brief history

_**Hi everyone.**_

_**Thank you so much for your reviews, I loved them. So I've decided to keep this story going for a while to see how well it does. In the mean time you could always check out my other story called "from now on, everything changes" *wink, wink* Some people might see that as begging but I really like to know what people think of my work. So if you have a few minutes have a look and tell me what you think.**_

_**As for this story, VampireMaddy pointed out that I was rather vague on Yuuki's and Kaname's background so rather than update on the story I'll right a chapter about their history. By the way, Thanks maddy for the help it really …erm…helped! Lol wow that was predictable ah well.**_

_**Just to clear any confusion. Yuuki and Kaname are related in this story (brother and sister) but they don't know that they are and Kaname never saved her because the chairman got there first. Gomen-nasai for being unclear will explain in here….**_

_**Ah well on with the show….**_

**Yuuki**

Yuuki Cross has not had what most people would call an ordinary life. She is in fact a vampire, a pure-blooded one at that, which puts her alongside the elite of the entire race. Even to Yuuki herself her life is shrouded in mystery.

Her father is the chairman of Cross Academy and is striving for peace between vampires and humans; however, Cross Kaien is only Yuuki's adoptive father. Before Yuuki was awoken as a vampire her memories started on a snowy night in the middle of a dark forest. It was unknown to her what had happened before that night; no matter how hard she tries she cannot remember. Walking through the dark forest alone Yuuki was scared. She walked absentmindedly through the forest in the snow not knowing where she was, how she got there or where she was going.

A voice issued from behind her. "Are you lost little girl?" Yuuki turned and saw a tall man with blood red eyes coming towards her. She stumbled backwards and fell to the floor "Do you mind if I drink your blood?" The vampire asked calmly. Yuuki screamed and the vampire moved closer and closer until he could almost touch her.

Somewhere in the darkness Yuuki heard a gun being drawn and closed her eyes when a shot rang out into the silence of the night. Quaking, Yuuki slowly and cautiously opened her eyes expecting to see the vampire. Instead she saw a tall blond man towering above her, leaning down and extending a hand. The vampire was nowhere to be seen and the place where he stood was now marked with a purple cross in the likeness of a rose. Only a pile of dust was left.

"Are you ok child?" the man said. Yuuki looked up into his kind eyes and nervously took his hand. His smile and the kindness of his face made her trust him.

"Would you like to come with me to somewhere warm?" he asked softly and Yuuki nodded

"Well then let's go". Still holding Yuuki's hand, he walked and Yuuki followed (A/N: by the way I've just re-read that and the chairman seemed a little pervy but it's not meant that way)

So Yuuki was taken in and adopted by Cross Kaien, she attended a local junior school were she met Kuran Kaname and others of his friends. The elite within the class, exclusive and anti-social. However, this acquaintance was short lived as Kaname soon had to withdraw from the class. Being only a small child at the time, Yuuki soon forgot about him and carried on her life as a normal human child. She lived this life until the arrival of Zero Kiryuu, whose family had been slaughtered by the pureblood Hiou Shizuka. Shizuka had bitten Zero and condemned him to a life of pain as he slowly converted into a vampire. When this transformation had taken place it was known he would undoubtedly fall to a level E and die. So Yuuki hid Zero's secret and he lived off blood tablets and Yuukis blood.

When old enough Zero and Yuuki enrolled at Cross academy. Yuuki and Zero grew closer as the years went by, Zero adored Yuuki and always tried to make her happy, and Yuuki respected Zero and always accepted his withdrawn nature and never questioned the things he asked of her. At the time of the introduction of the night class, full of anger and hatred, Zero strongly advised Yuuki to keep her distance from those who studied during the night. And so she did. If she had questioned him and ventured into the world of the night she would have once again discovered Kaname Kuran and possibly changed her life. However, it seems like this was not meant to be. Yuuki acted as guardian of Cross Academy, protecting the vampires of the night class and the humans of the day class and never got involved with the gorgeous beings that passed by her everyday; never asked their names or got to know them.

However, fate it would seem has a cruel sense of humour, as during one year at the academy one of the night class students, Senri Shiki, became possessed by the spirit of his father, a pure-blood vampire. Shikis father, named Rido Kuran, was Kaname's uncle. While on patrol one night Yuuki came into contact with this dangerous vampire and he changed her life forever. Rido bit Yuuki and reawakened the memories from before the night she was rescued, letting her know everything about her past except one important little detail: her fiancée Kaname Kuran. You see Rido is also Yuuki's uncle (making Kaname and Yuuki brother and sister (obviously)) however Rido has been in love with Yuuki ever since she was born and so planned on making Yuuki his bride. What he did not count on was Zero Kiryuu, who killed Rido before Yuuki could commit to anything.

So Yuuki was now awoken as a pure-blood vampire, she knew of her parents and her life as a pure-blood princess but her last name and ancestry remained unknown. Yuuki, who now knew all she had wanted, did not care and let the matter remain unaddressed. Her life continued as normal with both her and Zero using blood tablets as a way of controlling their hunger for blood. Even now, with her transformation into a vampire and her new found thirst for blood she kept her distance from the students of the night class. It remained like this until she moved out of her fathers' house and into her own apartment with her best friend. All was fine until she bumped into a handsome pureblood by the name of Kaname Kuran in an elevator and things started to get heated between the two of them.

How will this meeting affect the rest of Yuukis life? Will the remainder of her memories be awoken? And will they ever admit their feelings for each other and live happily ever after?

Only time will tell.

**Kaname**

Born and raised as a pureblood. Kaname Kuran is what everyone expects from a vampire prince. Kind, caring, authoritative, handsome, well mannered and respected by all other vampires. Raised by Juuri and Haruka Kuran, he had a younger sister - Yuuki. She was his betrothed, his one true love. They were destined to be married, to be together for all eternity but someone close to the family betrayed that and turned Kaname's world upside down. Rido, Kaname's uncle, showed up at the Kuran household, determined to claim Yuuki as his own, but this plan was foiled. Haruka sacrificed himself to give his family time and Juuri destroyed herself, in order to erase all of Yuukis memories, and in order to protect Yuuki from her evil uncle. Yuuki was put to sleep and was to live her life as a human until it was safe for her to be awoken by Kaname. Then they would get married and live happily ever after.

When Yuuki awoke she was all alone in the middle of a dark forest, surrounded by snow, and about to be attacked by a level E vampire. Juuri, Haruka and Kaname had a plan for Kaname to be there when Yuuki awoke and remain close to her so that it would be easy for the transformation to take place. However, Kaname was held up by Rido and so could not get to Yuuki in time for her to awaken from her slumber. By the time Kaname had brutally taken care of Rido, to the point of near death, Yuuki had already been rescued by Cross Kaien. Kaname arrived at the place where Yuuki had been and saw Yuuki being led towards a house by the chairman. Looking after them, Kaname felt like his heart had been broken; he knew now that the plan had failed. Everything that was supposed to have happened had been thrown out the proverbial window, and he now had to look after Yuuki from afar and hope to Kami that nothing happened to her. If it did… he would never forgive himself.

Cross Kaien, it turned out, was very pro-vampire. Kaien believed in a world where humans and vampires could co-exist peacefully and so introduced a night class at his academy purely for vampires. Kaname led by example and enrolled. He was soon followed by a host of other noble vampires and so the night class was formed. Kanames real motive was to try and get closer to Yuuki in order to reinstate the plan and once more be able to reawaken the vampire inside her human form. This too, it seemed, was not meant to be. Zero Kiryuu, Yuuki's closest friend had poisoned the mind of the youngster and convinced her to keep her distance from Kaname so despite his best efforts he could not get close enough to Yuuki, and was not there when he had the chance to fix everything.

When Rido turned up at the academy, Kaname instantly knew that all he had worked for was either about to be lost or could be boosted tenfold.

Kaname was, once again, too late. Rido awakened Yuuki and yet somehow managed to keep Kaname hidden from her. To Kaname's delight, Rido met his end with Zero Kiryuu, who killed him when he discovered he had turned Yuuki. However, Kaname could still not get close to Yuuki and when she left for Tokyo he believed that he had missed his chance completely. Could it be that they were never really meant for each other?

Imagine the surprise of the young pureblood when he stumbled across an older Yuuki in his new apartment building.

"_A pureblood actually. You seem shocked Yuuki. Did you not know?" Kaname asked calmly but his eyes were still glowing_

"_No." Yuuki said slightly scared_

"_Join the club. I did not know about your little secret. Have you always been a vampire, Yuuki?" _

Of course Kaname knew as soon as she stepped into the elevator that she was a pureblood and could also tell from the scent of her blood who she was. His heartbeat quickened. She was even more attractive to him then ever before, she was intoxicating; every second he was with her meant that he wanted her more. However, not wanting to seem rude and imposing he pretended to be none the wiser of her condition. (A/N good old Kaname!) As they embraced passionately and he beheld the sight of her toned body pressed against his he knew then that they were destined to be together. When they parted company he was more determined than ever to make her his own. He would do anything to get her and keep her.

How could he win her heart? And what will he do when a familiar silver haired hunter comes back into the picture? Will Kaname be able to keep his jealousy under control?

_**So basically this story is all about what could have happened if Kaname had not rescued Yuuki that snowy night ten years ago.**_

_**Hope you guys liked this little history lesson and that you now (sort of) understand what's happening between them. Ideas are welcome. Read and Review. Hope this clears up any confusion.**_

_**Thanks. Toya xx**_


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 2: Tequila changes everything**

**I literally wrote this chapter in like an hour i loved this part even if it is a little uneventful. Gomen. Ah well here we go again....**

After hours of painstaking dressing and undressing, washing hair, drying hair, curling and straightening hair, make-up on, make-up off, recovering lost shoes, brushing teeth and arguing over whom the bag belonged to… Yuuki and Yori were finally ready.

"Why do we have to go to this stupid thing anyway?" Yuuki asked, sounding harassed. "It's not like we know the guy"

"That's not the point." Yori replied for the sixth time, "Jamie asked us to come."

After Yori and her boyfriend Jamie had kissed and made up a week earlier, he had invited us to his friend Aidou's party.

"But it's not even his party; it's Hanabusa Aidou-kun's - whoever the hell that is!" Yuuki snapped.

"Yuuki! Please, you promised me you would come so that I wouldn't be on my lonesome!" Yori half-shouted, sounding desperate.

Yuuki never liked seeing her friend upset.

"Fine Yori-chan, but you owe me big time."

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Yori squealed, sounding exactly like the excited day class girls from Cross Academy.

Yuuki could not help but smile as she applied another thin coat of clear lip gloss to her full lips.

Walking to the full length mirror near the door Yuuki examined herself.

The reflection in the mirror showed a nineteen year old girl ready for a night out. Yuuki's dark waist length hair, which usually fell down her back in soft waves, had now been brutally attacked by a pair of hot straightners for the past hour and a half and was consequently dead straight. A fringe, which had recently been cut, now rested just below her eyebrows. Her make-up was flawless; her pale skin had been sprinkled with light foundation and her cheeks were now a pale pink which emphasised the white of Yuuki's eyes. The black eyeliner, mascara and eye shadow made her eyes stand out and sparkle when the light hit them and her lips twinkled with transparent lip-gloss and appeared, "totally kissable" (or rather that had been the desired affect as the container clearly said "Go from dull to kissable with just one application!"). Yuuki was wearing a new dress that she had bought that morning when shopping with Yori. The dress was electric blue with thick straps that covered the majority of her shoulders. Her waist was pulled in by a fuchsia pink belt and was matched by the shocking pink stars travelling up on side of the dress, gradually getting smaller and smaller, as they reached the belt at her waist until they disappeared. The black thigh high PVC boots that Yuuki had also bought made Yuuki appear three inches taller than she would normally would have been. However, according to Yori they did make her look a little like a slut, but Yuuki didn't care. Standing up straight, Yuuki looked herself up and down before turning away and looking at Yori.

Yori had not gone to any extremes to get dressed up. Her shoulder length hair was loosely curled and hung around her face. Her make up was simple, but made her look even prettier. Since Yori was not one to get dressed up, (well, unless it was a wedding) she had opted for a red tank top with a black shawl to cover her bare skin, a black skirt which stopped just above her knees, red tights to cover the remainder of her slim legs and black dolly shoes with kitten heels. Yuuki thought that Yori-chan looked really pretty and so voiced her approval.

"Yori! You look amazing." Yuuki cooed.

"Not as good as you Yuuki, but then again, I never have done." Yori looked at Yuuki in adoration.

Yuuki crossed the room and pulled her best friend into a bear hug, squeezing tightly.

"Erm…Yuuki?" Yori said.

"Hmm?" Yuuki replied.

"You're sort of smothering me!" Yori spoke loudly, but her voice was muffled by Yuuki's…. well… assets.

"Oh, Gomen-nasai Yori." Yuuki quickly apologised, and released Yori who took several deep breaths in a desperate attempt to regain the oxygen she had lost.

"Right are we ready? The taxi should be here by now." Yuuki said, checking her watch which now read: '6:53'

"Yeah, I'm all ready - what about you? Got your key? Mobile? Money?" Yori checked each item off on her fingers, and then checked her bag to make sure she had them.

Yuuki looked in the pink clutch handbag that was attached to her wrist.

"Check, check and _check_." Yuuki smiled.

"Well then, shall we?" Yori asked, and halfway to the door she held her arm out to Yuuki, who took it and they linked out of the door. Yori turned and locked the door, then slipped the key into her bag.

They walked to the elevator and pushed the button, giggling. As the doors slid open Yuuki's heart skipped a beat, as there was a man in the corner, but it was not the one Yuuki had initially first thought he was. She breathed out and stepped inside. As Yori pushed the ground floor button, Yuuki started to recall the incident that had happened a little over two weeks ago. How good it had felt to be kissed in a passionate way! To be held that tightly… and with Kaname Kuran of all people.

"Gosh! It had felt good." Yuuki thought to herself, "His breath on my neck, one hand on my waist; the other entwined in my hair, the feel of his skin under my fingers, his toned chest pressed against my torso…"

Yuuki mentally shook herself to get rid of the thoughts gathering in her mind. She had not seen the handsome Kaname since then and decided that if she ever did she would probably die of embarrassment. The lift clanged to a halt and the doors slithered apart. The foyer of their apartment building sparkled with cleanliness, but it was rather cold as the front doors were wide open and Yuuki had failed to bring a jacket.

"It doesn't matter." Yuuki assured herself, "It's not like I'll be outside much, will I?"

Yori walked slightly ahead of Yuuki, who was having trouble with her shoes due to the fact that somehow she had managed to get a small stone in the bottom of them, which was causing immense pain in her heel. Yori reached the entrance into the outside world first and poked her head out to ask a parked taxi driver if he was heading to Jakers Street. When the driver said 'yes' she shouted through the doors to Yuuki.

"Yuuki, hurry up. The drivers waiting!"

Yuuki tutted in disapproval.

"I'm coming for Christ's sake; I can't help it if there is a stone in my shoe, can I?" Yuuki stepped out into the cold night air, and shivered slightly at the drop in temperature, before stooping and climbing into the cab.

Once sat down Yuuki decided it was now or never to retrieve the stone and much to Yoris amusement attempted to get the boots off. Her efforts were in vain.

"Yori!" Yuuki pleaded, "Please help me." she stuck her leg in front of her friends face, who started to pull at the heel of Yuukis boots until it slid off her leg.

"Arigatou, Yori-chan." Yuuki smiled at her, and then started shaking the boot until a stone the size of a pea fell into her hand. Winding the window down, Yuuki threw the stone out, and then wound it up again.

"Now is the fun part." Yuuki stated with a grimace. At this point Yuuki battled to get the boot back over her foot and ankle, then struggled to pull the tight material over her knee until; finally, the boots were back in place.

"Phew!" Yuuki exclaimed, panting from her efforts but with a huge smile on her face due to her triumph.

The taxi pulled up in front of a popular club on Jakers street and the driver got out to open the door for the two ladies. They stepped out of the taxi and smiled at him. Yori paid the fare and they stepped onto the sidewalk.

"Get ready for this!" Yuuki whispered, and despite her previous unwillingness to attend the party started to get excited as they walked up the steps and onto a red carpet. Confusion ensued for Yuuki as she had her photo taken by a million photographers and was deafened by the high pitched squeals of over excited fan girls.

"Erm…Yori?" Yuuki spoke through gritted teeth as she forced a smile for the photographers.

"Yeah, Yuuki?" Yori replied, who unlike her companion was lapping up the attention, smiling and posing for the cameras.

"Did I miss something here? Why are there photographers?" Yuuki asked.

"Oh, did I forget to mention?" Yori clapped a hand to her forehead. "Hanabusa-kun is a model. It's his twentieth birthday party."

Yuuki smiled. "Oh right." Then she began to relax a little and started to enjoy the walk to the door of the club. Once there they stopped at the velvet barrier, as the security guard asked their names.

Yori answered as Yuuki was still in shock from the amount of photos she had just posed for "Wakaba, Sayori and Cross, Yuuki." The guard checked his list, nodded and leaned down to remove the velvet barrier from in front of them. Once their way was clear Yori linked Yuuki's arm and, laughing at her friends' amazement, dragged her inside.

Once inside Yori turned to Yuuki.

"Right, well seeing as I owe for forcing you to come here and not telling you about the photographers, I'll buy the first two rounds ok? What you having?" Yori asked cheerfully.

Yuuki was too busy dancing to hear her friend until Yori started waving in her face.

"Gomen, Yori, erm… I'll have tequila please?" Yuuki shouted above the music and then continued to dance to 'Dirty little secret' by the 'All American Rejects' (A/N: I know they are in Japan but I'm listening to that song while writing this, Gomen.)

"Wow! Heavy stuff this early, Yuuki! Don't over do it, ok?" Yori then walked off towards the bar leaving Yuuki dancing by herself. She was drawing some rather curious looks from some of the surrounding guys but then again she couldn't blame them, as even in her own opinion, Yuuki was looking even better than usual tonight.

She thought, "I must scrub up well" then smiled and carried on dancing.

Yori returned with a glass of tequila for Yuuki and a Passoa and lemonade for herself.

"Come on Yori. We need to get started." Yuuki started towards the dance floor but was dragged back to her original position by Yori.

"What?" Yuuki asked, a little annoyed. _First she drags me out to some random guy's party and then won't let me dance._

"We'd better go and find Jamie and say thanks to the birthday boy for inviting us." Yori said, in a rather commanding way.

Knowing that she would get no peace until she agreed, Yuuki took a large drink from her glass and, leaving it a quarter full, she nodded and grabbed Yori's hand.

"Ok. Where is he then… the birthday boy?" Yuuki asked, both sarcastically and unenthusiastically.

"I don't know, but come on I'll get you another drink first. That might keep you happy!" Yori smiled at her friend.

"Damn, you know me too well." Yuuki laughed, and allowed Yori to take her to the bar.

One drink turned into five and by the time Yori and Yuuki decided to make their way to the VIP area, Yori was more than a little drunk and Yuuki was completely and utterly smashed. However they did not care, as after all they were there to have a good time. However at one point Yuuki had to ask for just a glass of water and slyly snuck a blood tablet into the glass to satisfy her thirst for blood. She didn't think the host would appreciate her drinking from one of his guests…

Walking up the steps towards the VIP area, Yori stumbled at least three times and nearly collapsed onto the floor in laughter. Another security guard stopped them when they approached the VIP lounge and asked their names. However, before either of them had chance to spit out an answer, someone interrupted.

"It's ok, Tom. They're with us." Jamie was standing at the top of the stairs, smiling down at the drunken pair. "Yori-chan, Yuuki-chan, come on up." he then turned his back on the girls and allowed them to stumble and giggle their way up the stairs in their own time.

Upon reaching the top Yori caught site of Jamie and, well… sort of pounced on him. Wrapping both arms tightly around her boyfriends' neck, she pulled his head towards her and greeted him with a very passionate kiss. As this was unlike Yori's normal behaviour, Jamie was a little surprised at first, with his arms clenched by his sides and eyes wide open. However, after a moment or two, he relaxed and closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around Yori's waist and hoisted her into the air while returning her kiss just as passionately. Yuuki watched this obvious display of affection, wide-eyed and shocked, before slowly collapsing into hysterical fits of laughter. After a while Yori and Jamie broke apart and Yori helped Yuuki to her feet whilst Jamie led them both to a young, blond, man seated in a dark armchair. He was surrounded by girls and guys, looking totally relaxed, and enjoying the moment.

Even in her drunken state, Yuuki remembered her manners and bowed deeply.

"Arigatou Aidou-kun for inviting my friend and I, we are both honoured." Yuuki hiccupped and apologised, giggling.

"It's my pleasure to have you both here. Can I get you a drink?" Aidou asked politely, pointing to his private bar.

"Oh no!" Yuuki stammered, "I really shouldn't."

"Go on…" Aidou urged, "On the house."

"Ok then, you twisted my arm!" Yuuki grinned and followed Aidou to the bar, leaving Yori to once again show everyone in the room her feelings for Jamie.

"I'm glad to know you're having a good time, pureblood Yuuki-sama." Aidou whispered into Yuuki's ear.

Yuuki gasped in shock at this statement but then relaxed when she remembered that he was no danger to her. "H-how did you know Aidou-kun?"

"I knew that a pureblood had entered the building by the scent that I caught about an hour ago. When you walked up the stairs earlier it was clear what you were." Aidou said aloud.

"Ah yes, I can sense it now too, you yourself are a vampire as are most of the people in this room besides Jamie-san and Yori-chan." Yuuki pointed out.

"You are right." Aidou confirmed.

One of the main disadvantages of being a vampire in Yuuki's eyes was the fact that alcohol only had a short effect on the body and it took a lot to have any effect to begin with. So now, nearly twenty minutes since her last drink, Yuuki was pretty much sober. Something that she was about to change.

"Ok then, Aidou-kun. If you're going to get me a drink, I'll have tequila please and -lots of it." Yuuki spoke in a formal way, and then grinned when Aidou looked at her in a quizzical way.

"Of course, Yuuki-sama." Aidou grinned back, and clicked his fingers for the barman to attend to the need of the pureblood vampire by his side. "Oh, and Kiyo make sure Yuuki-sama doesn't go thirsty, as much tequila as she desires, and free of charge." The barman nodded and Yuuki thanked Aidou.

Yuuki received a very large glass of tequila and drank nearly half of it without surfacing for air. Aidou looked at her impressed.

"Well Aidou-kun. Aren't you going to introduce me to your friends?" Yuuki murmured.

"Oh, of course Yuuki-sama; how silly of me." Aidou offered his arm to Yuuki, who took it, holding onto Aidou with one hand while the other clutched her glass as if it was the most precious thing in the world. They both walked towards the group of vampires seated on a balcony overlooking the dance floor.

"Excuse me, but where is Yori-chan?" Yuuki asked worriedly.

"She went to the dance floor with Jamie-san." answered a dark haired vampire seated near a pretty female vampire with sun coloured hair.

"Arigatou." Yuuki replied thankfully.

"Yuuki-sama this is Senri Shiki and Touya Rima. Both noble vampires." Aidou introduced the pair to Yuuki and as he did so they both stood and bowed to the pureblood.

"Lovely to meet you, Yuuki-sama." Rima said kindly.

"Likewise Rima-chan, and you too, Shiki-kun." Yuuki nodded respectfully at the pair who returned to their seats and much to Shiki's delight Rima produced a small box of Pocky for the two of them to share.

"Here we have my cousin Kain Akatsuki and Souen Ruka, as well as Takuma Ichijou." Aidou continued stepping towards the three of them. At the mention of their name they stood and bowed to Yuuki.

"Yuuki-sama. How nice of you to join us." Ichijou grinned, apparently extremely pleased at having met a pureblood. The others such as Kain and Ruka, nodded in agreement, but said nothing.

"I'm happy to be here Ichijou-kun, Akatsuki-kun and Ruka-chan." Yuuki nodded to each of them in turn and, just like Shiki and Rima, returned to their previous activities.

"Arigatou, Aidou-kun." Yuuki smiled at him, and then turned to the bar. Kiyo caught her eye and quickly showed up with another full glass of tequila. Yuuki could now feel the effects of the alcohol kicking in and turned back to Aidou.

"Well, Aidou-kun. I'm going to go and dance for a while - but would it be ok if I returned here later?" Yuuki inquired politely.

"Of course Yuuki-sama. But do you not wish to meet someone else?" Aidou asked uncertainly, trying not to offend Yuuki.

"Oh yes. Gomen-nasai, Aidou-kun." Yuuki smiled at him, and he relaxed.

Walking towards the front of the group, Yuuki took care in where she placed her feet as she was in danger of falling once more. Yuuki came to the conclusion that whoever she was about to meet had only just arrived. Taking Aidou's outstretched arm, she walked with him to the top of the stairs.

"Yuuki-sama, this is Kaname-sama." Aidou announced cheerily.

At the mention of his name, Yuuki's head snapped upwards at a speed that probably could have broken her neck. Kaname was smiling at Yuuki with an expression that clearly showed that he did not expect her to be there.

"Yuuki. How nice to see you again." Kaname said calmly.

"Likewise, Kuran Kaname." Yuuki nodded calmly.

"Yuuki-sama? Kaname-sama? You've both met before?" Aidou asked curiously.

"Yes. I had the pleasure of being stuck in a broken down elevator with Yuuki, a little under two weeks ago." Kaname's lips curled into a smile at the memory and Yuuki blushed furiously.

_At least he did not mention what we got up to in there… _Yuuki thought to herself thankfully.

Kaname continued to smile and Yuuki continued to blush, as Aidou continued to look at the two of them before announcing…

"Ok then. That's good. Yuuki-sama your glass is empty, would you like another tequila?"

Yuuki was still looking into those gorgeous eyes of Kaname but answered.

"Yes please, Aidou-kun."

Aidou then walked to the bar and waited for Kiyo to serve him.

"What a nice surprise Yuuki! I did not expect to see you here." Kaname said politely.

"The same could be said for you, Kaname." Yuuki replied.

Aidou then returned with another full glass of tequila. Yuuki took this, took a drink and then courageously asked:

"Kaname, would you like to dance?"

_Wow, tequila really changes your thoughts and intentions_… Yuuki thought

Kaname looked slightly taken aback by this question but smiled and said yes

Yuuki then took hold of Kaname's hand with her free one and led him down the neon clad stairs, past the security guard and onto the dance floor as "Disco lights" by 'Ultrabeat vs. Darren Styles' begun to play. (A/N: once again, Gomen, but it's on now and I have to write about it seeing as they are in a club).

Yuuki threw her arms into the air and made her way to the centre of the dance floor, closely followed by Kaname. For the best part of five hours, Yuuki and Kaname laughed and danced, only stopping when Yuuki needed a little bit of Dutch courage. Laughing Yuuki pulled a smiling Kaname back towards the VIP area.

"Oh my gosh!" Yuuki exclaimed "Yori! What happened to her? I was having so much fun, I completely forgot."

"Relax, Yuuki-sama." a voice said from behind her. She turned and it was Ichijou-kun. "Yori-chan went home with Jamie-san. She did not feel too good."

"Oh…" was all Yuuki could say. _Trust Yori to bail on me! _

Looking at her watch Yuuki checked the time: and it was nearly 6am!!

"Wow! Time flies when you're having fun!" Yuuki remarked, "I'd better get home before Yori-chan has a heart attack. Seriously, sometimes she's worse than my dad." Yuuki laughed and started towards the club door.

Kaname grabbed Yuuki's hand and pulled her beck.

"Hold on Yuuki. How are you getting home?" he asked, concerned.

"I don't actually know." Yuuki smiled, "I'll flag down a taxi or hitch hike. I'll find a way."

"You won't have to. I'm driving you home." Kaname resolved, sounding sure of this fact.

"Oh no you're not. You stay here and have a good time." Yuuki insisted, but Kaname was having none of it.

"Not a chance in hell, Yuuki. I'm not letting you go without knowing you'll get home safely. Anyway, it's on my way home so I can just drop you off." Kaname said, taking hold of Yuuki's hand and leading her to the door.

"Ok fine, but only if it's no trouble." Yuuki said, deciding it was no use to arguing with the pureblood.

"For you, Yuuki, nothing is trouble. Anyway, it would be boring here without you." Kaname whispered into Yuuki's ear, "Oh and by the way, you look stunning tonight."

Yuuki blushed because of the compliment, but also due to the pleasurable shiver that travelled down her spine when his warm breath hit her ear.

Kaname escorted Yuuki through the sea of people within the club and out of the door. As they reached the pavement, Yuuki stopped, and Kaname turned left and persisted in walking away. He turned so he was facing her and motioned Yuuki to follow him. Which she did.

As they reached a nearby car park, Yuuki started to shiver. The cold night air brushed against her skin and caused goose bumps to erupt all over her arms and chest. Noticing her shivers, Kaname pulled off his jacket and offered it to Yuuki. Muttering her thankyous, Yuuki gratefully put on the still warm jacket and pulled it tightly around her. The jacket smelled of Kaname; like chocolate, eucalyptus and strawberries and Yuuki found herself enjoying the scent. Kaname was so tall compared to Yuuki that the jacket covered most of her dress, leaving only the chiffon underlay and the black PVC boots on show. Yuuki thought to herself that Yori probably was right. With Kaname's jacket covering the majority of her attire she probably looked like a high class hooker following a client to his car.

Kaname stared at Yuuki all the while as she put his jacket on and for a while afterwards. Taking in every part of her image. The long slender legs, that were clad in black PVC, which made them, look even more appealing to him. Her tiny hands clung to the edges of his jacket. As she swung her head from side to side to free her hair from the restraints of his jacket, she closed her eyes. Kaname produced a small growl at the sight.

"When did she get so hot?" he asked himself, before shaking himself to regain control of his lust for Yuuki.

"Come on, we'd better get to the car." Kaname muttered, unable to look her in the eye anymore.

They walked in silence and Yuuki could not understand why. They had been having such a good time. Had she done something wrong?

Kaname took his car keys from his jeans pocket and clicked the button which automatically unlocked a car about fifteen metres in front of them.

The car was a black Lamborghini with tinted windows. Yuuki looked at Kaname in disbelief and awe. This was her dream car.

"Oh my gosh! I can't believe you own this car?" Yuuki sounded both shocked and excited, as she began to examine very inch of the exterior. Kaname stood back and stared at Yuuki as she walked in front of him.

Kaname then walked up behind Yuuki and joined her in examining the car. She turned and, shocked at the lack of space between them, backed against the car creating more space, but only just. Kaname now stood about seven inches from Yuuki. This temporary gap soon closed.

Kaname took a step towards her.

"Yuuki. About the other day…" Kaname begun, but Yuuki interrupted him.

"I can't get it out of my head, it was so good." Yuuki spoke quickly, but then her eyes widened as she realised that she had voiced her thoughts out loud.

"Really?" Kaname whispered, "Do you really mean that Yuuki?"

Their lips were barely an inch apart, and Yuuki could not stop her heart from racing as the gorgeous vampire placed a hand either side of her. Her eyes darted from his eyes to his lips, to his neck before returning to and resting on his lips. Gosh, they were gorgeous! Yuuki suddenly remembered the last time their lips touched and how good it had felt to have him touching her in that way.

His breath hit her face and she shivered in excitement.

"Hai, Kaname. I meant every word." Yuuki blushed, but remained looking at his lips. So full. So good.

Kaname lifted his hand and cupped Yuuki's chin, titling her head upwards so that their eyes met.

"Yuuki." Kaname whispered, "I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. That day in the elevator …I wish we had never had to leave that place."

His head moved closer to Yuuki, as his free hand wound its way about her waist pulling her even closer.

"Me too…" Yuuki said, and then leaned towards Kaname's head.

As Yuuki's lips were about to meet Kaname's in a kiss that the pair of them had been waiting for for days, a female voice issued from the silence of the night.

"Kaname-sama? What are you doing?"

* * *

**There done. Thanks to my beta reader VampireMaddy for her excellent help and advice. Twas great lol**

**As always folks read and review. The more reviews i get the faster i update. k**

**And as a added bonus if you review you get free love :D**

**Toya xx**

* * *


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 3: Jealousy.**

**Here it is guys. Sorry for the delay it took a while fro me to write i've got loads to do with my exams coming up. Anyhoo here you go. Enjoy. And as always read & review! **

**:D Love to all my reviewers.....and free hugs!!**

"Kaname?" a different voice from the first issued from behind the man, standing so close to Yuuki that she could probably have told you how many hairs were in his eyebrows; if you had asked. Yuuki could sense that they were in the vicinity of a pureblood and a noble who had come to witness her encounter with Kaname.

Kaname let the hand that was cupping Yuuki's chin fall to his side and removed the arm that had slunk its way her waist, before reluctantly stepping away from her. Yuuki quickly tried to compose herself, but deep down she knew that the damage was done. Taking a deep breath Yuuki stepped to the side so that their audience could see her and Kaname.

Standing just two metres away was both Ruka-chan and a beautiful blonde woman; both looking rather shocked.

"Ruka, Sara. What brings you out here?" Kaname asked, as cool as a cucumber. He acted as if nothing had happened.

_Wow, he has some nerve _Yuuki thought.

"Gomen-nasai, Kaname-sama." Ruka said. "Sara-sama came into the club looking for you, and seeing as me and Akatsuki-san arrived with you, I knew where you parked and offered to bring her here."

Sara was merely standing there, looking at Yuuki curiously, seemingly uninterested in the fact that the person she was looking for was evidently about to kiss someone.

"It's not a problem Ruka, arigatou." Kaname answered the blushing noble, who bowed and walked away.

"Sara, may I introduce Cross Yuuki. Yuuki, this is Sara Shirabuki, daughter of the politician." Kaname appeared bored, but Yuuki could tell from the speed of his heartbeat that he was uncomfortable in this situation.

"Pleasure to meet you, Yuuki-san." Sara smiled at her.

Yuuki looked at the pureblood standing before her. The leggy blonde had her long hair tied into a high ponytail near the top of her head, exposing her face to the moonlight. The pale skin on her arms, shoulders and neck were uncovered and the rest of her slim torso and slender upper legs were covered, if only slightly, by a strapless black dress. Her long legs had been elongated even more by the 5 inch heels she wore as shoes. The skin on her face had been plastered with a bright orange layer of foundation so that she looked like a real-life version of a Barbie doll. The sight disgusted Yuuki.

_To think Kaname thinks of her as company _Yuuki thought, rather viciously.

However, to keep up appearances, Yuuki forced a pained smile to appear on her face and politely bowed to her fellow vampire.

"Likewise, Sara-san." Yuuki said through gritted teeth, and returned the slight inclination of the head that Sara had given with her greeting.

Turning to address Kaname, Sara put on a puppy dog face and a pleading, babyish voice.

"Kaname…" she scowled in a playful way. "You were meant to wait for me; you said I could come and stay with you tonight."

Yuuki's eyes narrowed as she dropped the smile and stared at the back of Sara's head trying so hard to control her anger and her jealousy.

"Gomen, Sara, but Aidou had thrown such a good party it must have slipped my mind." Kaname replied, still sounding calm and collective, but even so Yuuki's sensitive ears picked up a fast heartbeat thumping against his ribcage.

"It's ok Kaname. I forgive you." she stood on tiptoes to whisper into Kaname's ear, "You'll just have to make it up to me later."

Although it was said in a whisper, Sara made sure Yuuki heard every word. Yuuki was now close to breaking point, when speaking in terms of her anger management. If Sara had said another word Yuuki would have snapped. However, seeing as Sara had now stopped talking, Yuuki started to relax.

Well…until Sara leaned in and kissed Kaname on the cheek. At that point Yuuki lost control and snapped as her eyes flashed red and the car parked on the left of Kaname lost its rear window as it smashed into a thousand pieces. Sara turned to Yuuki and with a devilish smile on her face and asked her…

"Are we giving you a lift home, Yuuki-san?" The smugness in her voice was hard to miss, and it only made Yuuki even angrier.

"In fact we are." Kaname answered the question, sensing that Yuuki could not talk due to the fact that if she moved a muscle - she would probably break Sara in two. "Yuuki lives in our apartment building, three floors down in fact."

Sara seemed surprised but not as surprised as Yuuki.

_You failed to mention that!!!!!_

Yuuki thought that if she had spoken that sentence out loud, she would have been shouting at the top of her lungs.

"I'm amazed that I have not seen you then, Yuuki-san. Kaname has been there nearly three weeks, and I'm usually there about four or five times a week too. Well, usually when Kaname is not doing business." Sara was now addressing Yuuki with less and less respect as each word passed her lips, however, she spoke to Yuuki so quickly and so enthusiastically it seemed to Yuuki that Sara was acting as if they had been friends forever.

"What sort of business, Kaname?" Yuuki asked, trying not to lose her temper once again.

Kaname looked Yuuki directly in the eyes, the first form of contact that they had had since the arrival of Sara.

"I'm working with your father to convince more of the council members that pacifism is the way of the future. We are having great success."

Yuuki nodded, then broke eye contact and looked down at her legs. Realising that she was still wearing Kaname's jacket, Yuuki shifted uncomfortably.

Sara noticed this and gently nipped Kaname's cheek affectionately. Yuuki's eyes flashed red again in anger, this time not fading back to their usual dark shade of brown, but remaining a pale shade of red. However, Sara ignored this and continued addressing Kaname.

"Kaname you baka! Yuuki-san's freezing; open the car will you, so that we can get inside."

"Gomen." Kaname murmured, leaning down to the ground to pick up his keys.

_How the hell did they get down there? _Yuuki wondered, but then it hit her that after all that had happened between her and Kaname he must have dropped them. Yuuki blushed at the memory, but felt that the moment was so long ago, rather than less than ten minutes as it had been.

Kaname opened the passenger door and pulled the lever that pulled the passenger seat forward, and stepped back so that one of the girls could climb in. Seeing as Sara seemed closer to Kaname than herself, Yuuki climbed into the back seat, making sure that her short dress did not ride up too far so that her underwear showed.

Settling into the seat behind the passenger seat, Yuuki removed Kanames jacket and fastened her seatbelt. Kaname pushed the passenger seat back into place and allowed Sara to climb in. He shut the door and walked around the front of the car and climbed into the drivers' seat, turning on the engine and starting to drive away from the parking lot.

Sara turned in her seat so that she had her back to the road, and was facing Yuuki.

_She could talk for Japan in the chuffin' Olympics if she keeps going _Yuuki thought.

As Sara talked away about anything and everything, not taking into account anything that was happening around her, she did not pay attention to Yuuki's wandering eyes which were focusing on Kaname's brow in the rear-view mirror.

"….I was with my friend the other day and she was telling me about her boyfriend from America and he is apparently a really good kisser but I was thinking to myself, yeah, right of course I can guarantee that he is not as good a kisser as my Kaname…"

Yuuki snapped back to her senses at this, and the rear view mirror that she had been focusing on cracked vertically along the middle.

_Is it my imagination, or is Kaname smiling _Yuuki supposed.

For indeed at the moment the mirror cracked, Kaname's eyes found Yuukis for a brief moment in the mirror and a small smile found its way to his lips.

Yuuki forced another smile onto her face as she silently urged Kaname to drive faster, so that she could escape the clutches of this cold-hearted, vicious, vindictive tramp that will not shut the….fu…duck up!!!!

It was another five minutes before the Lamborghini elegantly pulled up in front of their apartment building. As soon as Sara had left the car and pulled the seat forward, Yuuki clambered out rather hurriedly and practically ran into the building. Kaname gracefully tossed his keys to the usher standing near the door, and followed Yuuki inside. Sara snuck up behind him and wrapped one arm around Kaname's waist. She squeezed him into a hug and forced him to place his hand, reluctantly, around her shoulders. Her smug smile was visible to Yuuki, ten metres away.

Once inside Yuuki tried to escape as soon as physically possible but had been held up by the lift, which in Yuuki's opinion, was plotting against her, forcing her to stay in the company of a witch. Watching Kaname and Sara walk towards her through the shining doors of the lift, Yuuki could not help but feel a pang of jealousy. Sara looked so content snuggling into his toned chest with her eyes closed. Yuuki believed that if she looked any longer her hands would accidently wrap around the pretty little blonde's petite neck! Forcing these violent thoughts to the back of her mind, Yuuki impatiently waited for the lift doors to open in front of her, literally jumping in as soon as she could, and putting as much distance between herself and the loving couple as the enclosed space would allow.

Unable to stand it any longer because of the blisters on her feet, which were in Yuuki's mind, the size of pancakes. Yuuki leaned against the wall of the lift and slid to the floor. Spreading her legs in front of her she removed the handbag from around her wrists. Examining them carefully, Yuuki could see a thick line of red all the way around her wrist were the bag strap had irritated her skin. Sighing, she allowed her head to rest against the wall and closed her eyes, perfectly willing to sleep there for the night.

"As comfortable as that position surely is - Yuuki I don't think you can sleep there tonight!" Kaname chuckled, as he looked down at the sleeping beauty he wanted so badly.

"Damn!" Yuuki laughed, still with her eyes closed "What floor are we at?"

"Nine" Sara interrupted, not wanting to be left out of the conversation.

As Yuuki opened her eyes she found everything within the elevator was tinted red. There was something about that woman that annoyed the living daylights out of Yuuki, but she could not put her finger on it. Staring at the back of Sara's head, Yuuki allowed her anger to flow into her stare, until she noticed Kaname looking at her.

The red in her eyes subsided when he looked at her, the kindness of his eyes and the intensity of his stare made Yuuki calm; but as she looked at the dial and saw the number '12' she knew this experience was to be short lived. Sighing, Yuuki brought her legs to her chest in an attempt to get up.

Kaname dropped his arm from around Sara shoulders and offered her his hand to help her up. Smiling at him, Yuuki grabbed his hand and allowed him to pull her from the floor with ease. The moment their skin touched Yuuki felt electricity flow through her entire body; his skin was smooth and his hand held hers gently but firmly at the same time; loosely, but in a way which seemed to Yuuki as if he did not want to let go. Yuuki now realised that she had been holding Kaname's hand for nearly two minutes and was still staring at the point of contact. This was quickly changed when she let go and pulled her hand away from his.

_As much as I dislike Sara-san I'm not going to steal her boyfriend. After all, I've only known him for two weeks. _

The elevator shuddered to a halt as Yuuki sidestepped passed Sara and Kaname before entering the hallway of her floor. Turning, she saw Kaname had stepped in front of the doors, not allowing them to close as he spoke to her.

"Arigatou, Yuuki, I had fun tonight." he smiled at her, and Yuuki felt her insides twist into a knot and her heart do a somersault.

_What is going on with me? What is this feeling?_

"Yuuki-san, it was a pleasure meeting you." Sara chirped up from behind Kaname as she snaked her arms around Kaname's waist. "We will see more of you?" she asked, sounding curious, but from the look in her eyes Yuuki knew that she did not mean a word of it.

"I hope…" Yuuki replied, as Kaname stepped back into the elevator and the doors shut before she could finish her sentence. This is probably a good thing, because the words that were formulating on Yuuki's tongue were along the lines of "...you rot in hell, Sara-san." Yuuki smirked at her own evilness and walked towards her apartment.

"Kuso!" Yuuki shouted as she noticed that she had failed to retrieve her bag off the floor of the elevator. _Now what am I supposed to do?_

"Unoki!" Yuuki gasped, and started towards her neighbours' apartment. However, Yuuki had only taken three steps when she realised that her feet were about to drop off.

"Ow! Ow! Ow!" she whispered, and sat down on the rug in the middle of the corridor and began to pull her boots off her legs and feet. It cooled her hot legs and relieved some of the pressure on the soles of her feet. Yuuki's legs were smooth and tanned, protruding from the bottom of her blue dress and disappearing into a pair of white cotton ankle socks.

_Probably not the best outfit choice but who's going to see me now?_

Yuuki was now exhausted from her activities and struggled to get up off the rug, but eventually forced herself to her feet and toddled up to her neighbours' apartment. Yuuki and Yori had given Unoki a spare key to their apartment in case they lost or forgot their copy, and Unoki always kept it in the bottom of the hanging basket outside his front door. Yuuki retrieved the key and went back to her apartment.

"Yori?" Yuuki whispered, "Yori? Are you here?"

Switching on the light of the living room, Yuuki noticed that the apartment was spotless.

_It wasn't like this when we left; was it?_

On the cleared coffee table was a note written in neat, loopy handwriting which Yuuki instantly recognised as Yori's.

Yuuki turned on the little lamp resting on the small table next to the sofa. Yuuki switched off the ceiling light and sat down, before picking up the note and reading.

_Dear Yuuki,_

_Sorry about leaving you tonight but I really didn't feel well. I came home and tried to get some sleep but Jamie wouldn't leave me alone. So I cleaned up a little and I'm off to Jamie's for the night and probably tomorrow night too, so don't expect me home. Ok?_

_See you Monday at Uni._

_Love Yori xx_

Yuuki finished the letter and dropped it onto the table. She reached up and knocked out the lamp before staggering to her bedroom, falling onto her bed and fell asleep instantly still fully clothed.

Being a vampire, Yuuki by rights should not really go out during the day as the intensity of the sun damages her eyes and burns her skin; but being raised as a human Yuuki failed to grasp the concept of sleeping during the day and wandering around at night. I mean, come on, there are no decent shops open at night!

This however changed the night after Aidou's party. Vampires, although not really affected by alcohol at the time of consumption, get really bad hangovers. As a result Yuuki did not plan to leave her bed all of Sunday, due to the huge headache she had and how sick she felt whenever she moved. Groaning, Yuuki turned over onto her stomach and tried to block out the sunlight by burying her face into her pillow.

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

Yuuki groaned, _who could this be?_

Hauling herself off her bed she hobbled to the front door of her apartment. Not exactly walking in a straight line, Yuuki managed to walk into the sofa and the table next to the door before she reached the door.

Rubbing the top of her head and trying to focus her dazed eyes on the doorknob, she clumsily grasped the cold metal and pulled the door open, almost loosing her balance and toppling backwards onto the wood floor of the living-room.

"Whoa! Yuuki are you alright?" Standing in the doorway was a very cheery Unoki from next door. Although Unoki couldn't be classed as a bad looking guy, there was something that had never appealed to Yuuki. Yeah she thought of him as a friend, a very good friend actually, but she had never actually considered going out with him. He had a small pot belly which had always put her off. Holding out his hands, Unoki attempted to steady Yuuki but she had clasped hold of the wooden door before he got there.

"What? Oh yeah, I'm fine, just a bit of a hangover." Yuuki half-laughed, and leaned against the door for support. "You knocked?"

"Yeah, I noticed you took the spare key from the plant pot. Did anything happen last night?" Unoki sounded concerned, but Yuuki was more focused on the fact that she was out of bed and was slowly starting to drift off standing against the door.

"Nah. I left my bag on the floor of the elevator when I came back in." Yuuki explained.

"Oh, sounds about right for you." Unoki joked.

Yuuki found herself smiling.

"Listen Yuuki, if you're feeling up to it, do you think we could go out for a drink tonight?" Unoki spoke quietly, and to his feet, nervous and embarrassed.

"Eh? Oh right, erm… Ok, why not?" Yuuki replied.

_Wait! WHAT?_ _This is so the hangover talking _

"Really? That's great. Erm… so I'll come get you at eight. Is that ok?" Unoki was grinning like a Cheshire cat, unable to believe that Yuuki had accepted his offer.

"Yeah fine. Oh, and Unoki?" Yuuki was finally falling asleep and sounded ill when she spoke this.

"Yeah?" he said.

Plunging her hand down her bra, Yuuki pulled out the spare key and handed it to Unoki.

Unoki looked at her amused, and slightly confused.

"What? I had no pockets." Yuuki argued, and smiled before saying goodbye and closing the door before turning to walk towards the kitchen

_I need chocolate _Yuuki thought.

Outside in the hallway, the elevator doors slid open and Unoki stumbled straight into the firm torso of Kaname Kuran. Bouncing off, he bowed to him and apologised before he rushed into the elevator as Kaname stepped out.

Walking towards the door marked '11' Kaname clasped the small pink clutch bag that belonged to Yuuki, which she had left on the floor of the elevator.

Chuckling slightly, Kaname thought to himself. _She still hasn't changed: always forgetting things!_

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

Kaname knocked lightly on Yuuki's apartment door and stepped away. From inside the apartment Kaname heard a lot of noise, which sounded like the smashing of glass and someone falling over various objects before the door was answered with…

"Stupid fucking phone charger. What?" Yuuki snapped, sounding aggravated and annoyed.

Slightly taken aback by the hostile greeting, Kaname silently held out the bag to Yuuki who looked at it for a while, confusion written over her face.

Yuuki's dishevelled appearance and dazed expression made Kaname stare in wonder at her. Even hung-over, Yuuki still looked even more gorgeous than any other girl that Kaname knew.

"Yuuki?" Kaname questioned.

Yuuki's eyes snapped upwards, but the dazed expression remained for a while before Yuuki slowly began to understand the situation.

"Gomen, Kaname. I've got a little headache, I got confused." Yuuki spoke slowly and softly, wincing when Kaname replied at normal volume

"That was obvious from the look on your face." Kaname laughed.

The sound of his laugh and the smile on his face sent goosebumps all over Yuuki's body, and her stomach twisted into a knot.

"You left this on the floor in the elevator; I kicked it when I reached my floor. I was going to bring it back down, but Sara was in the apartment and the last time I trusted her alone in there she had practically moved in." Kaname sounding annoyed, and slightly repulsed, at the idea of his girlfriend moving in with him.

Yuuki widened her eyes in an attempt to straighten her vision and remove some of the blurriness. However this only seemed to make Yuuki loose balance and topple forwards slightly. Yuuki braced herself for an impact with the hard floor when Kaname gently caught and steadied her, before returning her to a vertical position.

"Steady Yuuki. I think you drank a bit too much last night." Looking into his eyes, Yuuki could see the concern Kaname was showing for her.

"I think that too." Yuuki laughed, and leaned on the door again.

"Here's your bag." Kaname reminded her.

"Oh yeah. Arigatou, Kaname. I had to get a key off Unoki, my next door neighbour." Yuuki explained, but then snapped her head off of the door and widened her eyes in horror.

"What? What's wrong?" Kaname asked, looking over his shoulders.

"Oh my gosh!" Yuuki wailed. "I just agreed to go on a date with him"

"Was he the guy just going down the elevator?" Kaname enquired

"Must have been, I have just literally shut the door on him now." Yuuki sighed. "Ah well, the damage is done now; nothing I can do now without seeming rude. Anyway it won't be that bad, Unoki's a nice guy."

Kaname's eyes began to tint red and his heart started to beat faster as he clenched his fists.

_My Yuuki! Why does she want to go out with him???_

"I hope you have a nice time." Kaname uttered, through clenched teeth.

"I'm sure I will. Gomen Kaname, but do you think I could cut this short? I need sleep my head is killing!" Yuuki requested.

Kaname was disappointed; he had been hoping that he would have been able to apologise for Sara and explain some things to her. Also, in the back of his mind, Kaname was hoping for a chance to finish what they had started the previous night.

"Oh it's ok Yuuki. I hope you and… Unoki, have a nice evening."

"Arigatou, Kaname." Yuuki smiled, and the effect it had on Kaname was hard to describe. His heart fluttered and his mind raced. Butterflies appeared in his stomach and he had the urge to pull her close to him. However, he could not do this as Yuuki shut the door and he heard her walking away.

Kaname raised his arm and placed his hand on the door. Sighing and bowing his head Kaname whispered, "If only, Yuuki, if only". He held this position for a few minutes, before dropping his arm and turned for the elevator, his thoughts staying with the pureblood now sleeping in apartment eleven.

_Later that night…_

Kaname leaned against the purple wallpaper of the foyer and pondered over a piece of paper in his hand. His brow was crunched into a slight scowl and his mouth formed a slight frown. He looked up when a commotion at the doors drew his attention.

Through the revolving doors staggered a very drunk Yuuki and Unoki. (Yuuki more so than Unoki). Yuuki, who had been so dressed up the night before, had opted for a more casual look for her date. Her long hair fell in two plaits on either side of her face, while her fringe was held back by a yellow headband. She wore a pale yellow cardigan with a white tank top underneath; black shorts which stopped just above the knee, and yellow converse. Whilst spinning around and yelling that she was playing a game called "dizzy dinosaurs" urging Unoki to copy, a black bag swung from her shoulders until she stumbled, and sidestepped to the right in order to regain balance.

Yuuki giggled like a schoolgirl as Unoki nearly collapsed in fits of laughter, but continued on his path to the elevator and to where Kaname was standing, staring intently at the drunken pair. Out of the blue Yuuki ran up behind Unoki, jumped, and screamed "Piggy back!" before wrapping her arms and legs around Unoki causing him to stagger under her weight. Unoki laughed and shrugged, so that Yuuki climbed further up his back.

"Kaname? Is that you?" Yuuki yelled. "Yes it is, I thought so. Hi!"

"Hi, Yuuki." Kaname said, "Had a good night?"

"Hell yeth!" Yuuki was slurring her words. "Thish boy knowth how to treat a girl." she giggled, and tapped him on the head.

The elevator opened and the three of them piled in. The elevator ride was awkward.

_Gosh. Now I know how Yuuki felt last night. _Kaname thought, glumly.

Yuuki and Unoki continued their childish ways all the way up to the sixteenth floor, upon which the doors slid open and Unoki fell out, still carrying Yuuki.

"Bye Kaname!" Yuuki screamed, before turning to Unoki and loudly whispering "Shush!"

Unoki giggled and moved closer to Yuuki, grabbing her arms.

Yuuki looked at Unoki like a curious puppy and, without warning, pulled Unoki towards her and passionately kissing him. Shocked, Unoki did not respond immediately but soon got into it, and started returning the kiss.

Kanames eyes turned from dark brown to blood red in a second and without realising, he bared his fangs. As the doors closed Kaname saw Yuuki unlock the door to her apartment and drag Unoki inside. The light above Kaname's head shattered and the light went out. Sighing, and resisting the temptation to return to the sixteenth floor and rip Unoki to shreds, Kaname concentrated on the elevator. He hated the thought of what Yuuki and Unoki could be getting up to at that very moment. Kaname put his arm on the lift door and leaned in to rest his head on his arm. The lift stopped, and Kaname walked out towards his apartment.

_That could be me. It should be me. God! What the hell is coming over me? Kaname, remember it's impossible - she doesn't remember you. It'll never happen. It never should have happened. But still… why do I feel so… _

_Jealous._

* * *

**Et Voila! (yes i know there is an accent missing)**

**Hope you enjoyed i'm in the middle of writing chapter 4 so the more you review the faster i write. Himt: Review and i might get the next chapter up within two days.**

_"Things are gonna get ugly" Toya._

* * *


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 4:

Yuuki flinched as the noise from the alarm clock filled her ears, magnifying the pain in her head, interrupting her dreams. Raising her head slowly off of the pillow, Yuuki looked around her room.

_How the hell did I get here?_ She asked herself.

Bringing her surroundings into focus she noticed that various items of clothing were scattered all over the room. Shocked, Yuuki turned onto her back and grasped the duvet of her bed and pulled it around her, staring wide-eyed at the ceiling. Yuuki shook her head in disbelief.

_What have I done? And more importantly… who with?_

Vague images of the night before passed before her eyes; including downing 5 double vodkas and glugging half a bottle of very strong vodka. Her head was swimming, and when she attempted to raise herself off the bed into a sitting position she almost vomited.

_Nope, not going to happen. I'm staying right here. Fuck my head hurts._

Sneaking a look under the duvet, Yuuki saw that she was indeed naked. Groaning in horror at what she had done, Yuuki pulled the duvet above her head to hide her blush, and tried in vain to recall the events of the night before. Yuuki was drifting off into an uneasy slumber when she heard the banging of cupboard doors and the sound of her stereo being switched on. Forcing herself up, Yuuki let her untidy hair fall across her face and cast a confused look in the direction of the door into the hallway. Scanning the floor, Yuuki saw a white shirt no doubt belonging to the person she had brought home last night. She slowly and cautiously stepped over the various items on the floor with the duvet still wrapped round her naked body. She managed to put on the shirt as quick as a flash before dropping the duvet on the floor. Still slightly shy, Yuuki hesitantly exited her bedroom and tip-toed to the kitchen. Peering round the corner Yuuki nearly died of shame when she cast her eyes upon her next door neighbour, Unoki. Snapping her head back round the corner, she closed her eyes and leaned against the wall, wishing like she had never wished before that this was all a bad dream.

_Oh no! Please no! This can't be happening. Him of all people……Wow! How much did I drink?_

Tentatively, Yuuki snuck another look around the corner, hoping against hope that the person she had first seen had been a figment of her imagination.

No such luck. Unoki was still there, and this time he had noticed Yuuki appear.

"Good morning, Yuuki-chan." Unoki uttered nervously, blushing a deep shade of red.

"Morning Unoki." Yuuki replied sheepishly.

"Sleep well?" he asked, as casually as if they had stopped in the street to talk about the weather.

"Not bad. I've got a splitting headache." Yuuki giggled.

Unoki chuckled, "I'm not surprised; the amount you drank I'm surprised your liver hasn't packed in"

Yuuki laughed uncomfortably.

_So he remembers some things._

"Erm…Unoki…can I ask you something?" Yuuki spoke so quietly out of embarrassment, that she was barely audible

"Of course." Unoki handed Yuuki a cup of coffee which he had made. Yuuki took it from him and had a small sip before continuing:

"Gomen, but what happened last night? I can't remember a thing."

"Ah…" Unoki looked at his shoes causing Yuuki to think the worst. "Well you see we left the elevator you sort of kissed me and dragged me in here. But, by the time you'd taken your clothes off and climbed onto your bed, you'd sort of… passed out."

"So, nothing happened?" Yuuki enquired.

"No." Unoki seemed slightly disappointed, and stared at Yuukis figure clad in nothing but his shirt from the night before. Unoki himself was wearing his boxers and a white tank top.

Yuuki shut her eyes and sighed in relief.

_Thank god!_ She thought.

"Where did you sleep?" Yuuki questioned.

Unoki smirked, "To be honest I'm not sure. I can remember coming through here for a drink and then waking up in your bathtub."

Yuuki laughed.

"Interesting choice."

"Tell me about it." Unoki grinned, taking a large drink from his coffee cup and glancing at the clock above Yuuki's head. "Oh shit! I'm going to be late for work."

"What?" Yuuki said in shock, before turning to the clock and seeing that it was almost 12:30.

Distracted for a moment, Yuuki wondered why her alarm had been set for such a late time.

"Shit! I've missed the train!" Yuuki groaned. "Sensei will kill me!!!"

"I'm going to have to go Yuuki. Have you seen my pants?" Unoki was panicking; he had never been late for work in four years.

"Yeah. They are in the hallway before you go into my room. If you go get them and the rest of your stuff, I'll go get dressed and you can have this back" Yuuki commanded, referring to the cotton shirt she was wearing.

"Great." Unoki breathed, before looking round for his things.

Yuuki retreated to her room and pulled her long, tangled hair into a ponytail, adorning a pair of black tracksuit bottoms and a high neck superman top. Picking the discarded shirt off the floor, Yuuki noticed Unoki's shoes and retrieved them on her way out. Unoki was in front of the mirror near the door trying to get his messy hair to lie flat and attempting to remove a wine stain from his pants. Sighing in defeat, Unoki saw Yuuki approaching in the mirror.

"Arigatou, Yuuki." Unoki quickly and clumsily pulled his shirt on, and shoved his feet into his shoes. The buttons of his shirt were fastened clumsily, leaving two buttons at the bottom without a hole to go into.

"It's no use. I'll have to go change." Unoki said goodbye to Yuuki, and awkwardly kissed her on the cheek before exiting the door.

Yuuki scrambled after him and locked the door. She turned and looked for her mobile which she found lurking under the sofa and texted Yori. The message read:

_Hey,_

_Sorry, I'm not in school have a really bad head._

_C U 2nite. Yuuki xx_

Yuuki then waited for a reply from her friend and was not disappointed when after the space of thirty seconds Yuuki's phone flashed and vibrated. Yuuki opened the message and read:

_Its ok, I know you had a busy night. Gomen, but I'm staying at Jamie's for a while._

_So see u soon. Yori xx_

Yuuki sighed and threw her phone onto the sofa.

_So this is how it's going to be like from now on, eh? Me almost sleeping with guys on the first date, and Yori with Jamie 24/7. Yuuki thought. _

Yuuki ran her hands throught her hair and was disgusted by how dirty it felt.

_Urgh! I need a shower._

Walking speedily towards the bathroom, Yuuki failed to notice her phone vibrating on the sofa cushions. Closing the bathroom door, Yuuki began to remove her clothes and turn on the hot water. Stepping into the stream she gasped at the high temperature, but did not attempt to change it. Making sure that every part of her hair was wet Yuuki primped and polished herself until she felt clean again. Closing her eyes and resting her warm forehead against the cold tile of the bathroom wall, Yuuki allowed the feel of the water on her skull, and lowered temperature to ease the pain in her forehead.

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

"Oh for fuck sake!!!" Yuuki yelled, "Who the fuck is this? Can't a girl get five minutes peace in this place?"

Angry at the unknown visitor, Yuuki stepped out of the running water and wrapped herself in a towel. Making sure that nothing was on show that shouldn't be; Yuuki unlocked the bathroom door and proceeded down the hall to the door.

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

"Yes. I know. I know. Hold your bleeding horses!" Yuuki spoke through the door. Unlocking the various locks and bolts and chains that kept the door shut, she wondered why on earth they needed so may locks. Staring at the door in annoyance because of the amount of locks, Yuuki did not immediately take into account who was at the door or the effect her clothing or rather…_ lack _of clothing would have on him.

"Can I help yo…?" Yuuki started her sentence angrily, but then stared in shock and embarrassment as she saw Kaname standing at the door. She suddenly became painfully aware of the fact she was only wearing a towel. Kaname looked at Yuuki from head to toe, and back again, before meeting her eyes. Yuukis mouth opened and closed continuously until she resembled a goldfish, unable to speak in embarrassment and at the sheer sight of seeing Kaname.

"Kaname!" Yuuki managed to spit out, and her hand travelled to the material covering her, securing it in place. "What are you doing here?"

Kaname continued to look at Yuuki, apparently transfixed. His eyes were wide in astonishment and his mouth hung open a little. He had imagined what Yuuki's figure looked like, but seeing her in just a towel teased his imagination and once again sparked images that had been plaguing his mind for nearly three weeks.

"Kaname?" Yuuki asked hesitantly, slightly unnerved by the attention he was giving her, but immensely flattered at the same time.

Kaname seemed to snap back to reality, and gave his head a little shake to clear his mind.

_Aww he looks so cute, like a little pup!_

"Gomen, Yuuki. I did not mean to intrude, but I did send a message before." Kaname gazed at Yuuki in an affectionate way, but was unable to keep his eyes diverted from her slender legs.

_Wow… _he thought._ Even when she is dripping wet and doesn't have any make-up on, she is more gorgeous than everyone else. Why can't she be mine?_

"Really?" Yuuki flicked her head to look into the apartment, and Kaname could not take his eyes off her. The sudden movement of her head caused Yuuki's long hair, which was now beginning to dry into loose waves, to swing round her and fall over her shoulder. Kaname's eyes drifted to the soft creamy skin of the back of her neck and upper back. Flawless, delicate… perfect.

"Ah, found it!" Yuuki exclaimed, as she left the door and walked over to the sofa to pick up her phone, leaving Kaname at the door. "Well then, don't be an idiot, come in! Shut the door, you're letting in a draft."

Still with her back to him Yuuki heard Kaname walk in and gently shut the door. Yuuki suddenly felt nervous. The last time the two of them had been alone together for more than five minutes had been in the elevator. Yuuki shook her head to rid herself of the memories of that time. That hour had been the most exciting and fulfilling of her life. She had felt that finally everything had fallen into place. Yuuki had put some serious thought into this matter and had finally concluded that ever since the arrival of Kaname in her life, she had felt like something that had been missing for a long time, had returned to her. The final piece of the puzzle. But, she knew this could not be, after all Kaname was dating Sara. Yuuki could not interfere… no matter how much she wanted to.

Opening the message from an unknown number she read:

_Yuuki, hi it's Kaname. I got your number from Jamie. Look I need to talk to you about something. I'll be down in 5 if that's ok. _

_Text back or phone if this is not a good time._

_Kaname x _

Yuuki stared at the 'x' on the end, trying not to over evaluate its meaning and jump to the wrong conclusions.

"Gomen, Kaname." Yuuki called over her shoulder. "I left my phone in here and went for a shower."

"It's ok." Kaname whispered. Yuuki gasped and she felt his breath on her neck, she couldn't believe he was right behind her, as she had not sensed him approach. However, considering her previous resolution not to interfere, Yuuki moved away possibly too quickly and walked into the kitchen still clutching the towel in an iron grip.

"Gomen. I'm really hungry!" Yuuki was pulling open a cupboard door and taking down a small black box containing about fifty small tablets. Being extremely careful so that the towel did not drop and bare all to the handsome vampire, although, Yuuki was starting to think that neither of them would be that fussed if it did. "Would you like one?" she offered Kaname a blood tablet.

"Please." he murmured.

Yuuki moved to the other side of the spacious kitchen and opened yet another cupboard door with one hand before taking down two glasses. With a lot of concentration, she managed to pick them both up and carry them to the same place as the box of blood tablets. Kaname had followed Yuuki's every movement with his eyes. Kaname thought it was so cute the way she was concentrating on her actions. She looked gorgeous, standing there in just a towel. Had she intentionally planned this to tease him?

His inner voice called out _Kuran don't get your hopes up_

Yuuki had now placed two tablets into the bottom of the glasses and was now looking back and forth between the tap and the glasses as though hoping they would pick themselves up and fill with water.

Kaname laughed at her confused expression. "Would you like some help?" he offered.

Yuuki smiled at him "Please."

Kaname walked over and put his arm across the front of Yuuki and grabbed the two glasses. As he pulled his arms back towards his body he accidently brushed his exposed skin against Yuuki's arm. Yuuki shivered in excitement as goose bumps erupted all over her body, and a shock of electricity broke out from the placed he had touched her arm.

_Why? Why does he have this effect on me?_

Yuuki blushed and sheepishly looked up at Kaname, who was staring at her in a way that confused Yuuki.

_Why does he look at me like that? Could it mean…. No, Yuuki you're being stupid….aren't I?_

Kaname smiled at her and she smiled back. Kaname took the glasses to the sink and Yuuki switched on the tap. Kaname allowed the first glass to fill up and gave it to Yuuki as he waited for his.

"Arigatou." Yuuki breathed, and downed the mixture without pausing for breath. By the time Yuuki had finished Kaname's glass had just filled with water.

Looking at Yuuki, half impressed, half shocked, with his eyebrows almost meeting his hairline he asked: "Thirsty?"

"What? Oh yeah? I haven't fed in a couple days. Too many parties." Yuuki laughed, and Kaname joined her. He then drank half of his drink before placing it on the counter.

Yuuki placed her empty glass into the sink, turned and put the small box of tablets back into the cupboard and journeyed into the living room. Kaname followed.

"You said you needed to talk to me about something?" Yuuki asked cheerfully.

Kaname walked over to her and stopped about eight inches from Yuuki, whose heartbeat had steadily increased as he grew closer.

"Yes actually, about Sara." Kaname whispered.

"Oh." Yuuki said, not trying to hide to annoyance in her tone – _I mean, of all people why does he want to talk about her?_

"I want to apologise for her arrival and for the way she acted with you." Kaname blurted out.

"What? Oh yeah, don't worry about it." Yuuki shook her head in a gesture that she hoped showed him that it did not matter.

"I have to Yuuki, she was out of line. I had not agreed to meet her when she had heard from a friend that you were at the party and came to… gatecrash."

"She picked a good time then, didn't she?" Yuuki spoke before thinking, and slapped her hand to her mouth in an attempt to scoop up the words and put them back into her mouth.

"Yes she did. We were in the middle of something were we not?" Yuuki noticed that Kaname had a devilish smile on his face, which succeeded in making him even sexier.

"Yes, but we shouldn't have been doing it in the first place. If you'd have told me you had a girlfriend I would never have even thought about it." Yuuki pointed out.

"If that's true Yuuki, why are you thinking about it now?" Kaname smirked, as he moved closer. Yuuki was so focused on Kaname's eyes and mouth that she did not think to move away.

Kaname leaned in closer and brought his hands upwards, stroking the skin on Yuuki's arms. His smirk widened when he felt the goose bumps which erupted at his touch. He then dropped his arms and made them rest on Yuuki's hips, pulling her even closer. Their breaths caught between them and Yuuki could not tear her eyes away from his. The gorgeous brown of them hypnotised Yuuki, and without realising, she raised her arms and rested her arms on his toned chest, just below his collar bone.

"Yuuki, how much I have needed to do this since the other night. I hate unfinished business." Kaname teased, and slowly lowered his head so that their lips brushed. "Yuuki…" he whispered.

_You shouldn't be doing this! He's got a girlfriend! _Yuuki thought frantically.

Yuuki's failure to move was now down to the fact that, inside her mind waged a ferocious war, between the half of her brain pleading for logical thought and the instinctive part wanting nothing more than to wrap her arms around his neck

_So, you know you want this! SHUT UP!! I shouldn't be doing this, I need to stop this before it gets out of control, but it feels so right - I don't want to stop him. What about Sara though, it's so unfair on her, I should stop. I keep saying that but it's not happening. I have to stop this now._

Right before their lips made full contact; Yuuki snapped out of her trance and widened her eyes in horror. Flattening her hands onto his muscular chest, she used most of her energy to push him away. The effort needed was not because of his size compared to hers, but rather how much she did not want to part from him.

"Kaname! Stop, we can't." Yuuki closed her eyes in shame, and once more clutched the towel to her body. "This is wrong, we shouldn't do this."

"Why not Yuuki? You know we both want it." Kaname reasoned, taking a step closer to Yuuki.

"It's wrong! You have a girlfriend!!!" Yuuki shouted.

"And?" Kaname replied in disbelief, clearly not seeing how this stopped them from kissing.

"And? AND!" Yuuki yelled, thinking that Kaname was being so arrogant. "What? Has Sara fallen out with you because of what happened and now you want some comfort from me? Well tough shit, pretty boy but I refuse to be someone's plaything. If you're that fucking desperate go and find someone who doesn't have a conscience. If you think I will stand to be messed around while you play happy families with a vindictive tramp, you have another thing coming!" Yuuki paused for breath and Kaname took the chance to interrupt.

"Yuuki! CALM DOWN!" Kaname half shouted. "And for the love of god, will you just bloody kiss me?"

Yuuki made a weird sound that came out as "Guh". Somewhere in the back of Yuuki's mind, the conniving, slightly evil, backstabbing bitch of her vampiric side said 'ok' and practically launched herself on him. Kaname greeted this enthusiastically, wrapping his arms around her slim waist as she wrapped hers around his neck, pulling him closer to her. Kissing at such a speed, and with such passion, Kaname gently picked Yuuki up off of the floor and pressed himself even closer to her. Yuuki ran her fingers through Kaname's smooth chocolate coloured hair, and forcefully shoved her tongue down Kaname's throat as he did the same. Their tongues entwined and passed over each others lips in a heated way, as if they were lovers seeing each other for the first time after a long period of separation. Yuuki's legs were limp, but her arms were moving a lot up and down Kaname's arms, round his shoulders and through his hair.

Yuuki began to get light headed, and reluctantly pulled away from Kaname. Panting, Kaname looked dazed and cute, his hair a mess and his eyes out of focus. They both looked at each other lustfully, slowly regaining oxygen before Kaname issued a low growl and pulled Yuuki into a kiss; this time pacing her back onto the floor. The material covering Yuuki was now very loose and dangerously close to coming away completely. Kaname allowed his hands to cup Yuukis chin tenderly, before moving to the sides of her face and running them through her long, still slightly damp, hair. Yuuki placed her hands on Kaname's waist and grasped the material tightly, not allowing him to move away from her. Although she should have realised that at this point, moving away was the last thing on Kaname's mind.

So lost in the each other, and finally being able to release the tension that had been growing between them for weeks, neither Yuuki nor Kaname heard a key being put into the lock and the door being opened.

"Seriously Yori, how long does it take you to open a door" Jamie teased. Looking up, Jamie saw a towel clad Yuuki and a dishevelled Kaname lost in a passionate embrace.

"Whoa! Leaving now." Jamie then turned, and closed the door behind him.

Yuuki's eyes snapped open and she pulled away from Kaname panting.

"What's wrong? What's going on?" Yori asked.

"Erm… nothing… no, Yori! You can't go in –" Jamie attempted to stop Yori. "–there!!!"

Yori's eyes widened when she saw Yuuki and Kaname, panting, and staring at her looking suspiciously untidy and flushed. Her eyes widened even further when she saw Yuuki in a towel, which was almost falling off her body. Looking down in embarrassment, Yuuki noticed the loose fabric and hastily tightened it around her, feeling bare and on show.

"Ahem!" Yori chirped awkwardly. "Hi, Kaname-kun."

"Hi, Yori." Kaname replied, also paying a lot of attention to his shoes.

"Sorry for us to barge in on you like this, I needed to get some clothes. We'll just go and get them and you two can continue …whatever it was you were doing." Yori giggled, and flashed Yuuki a look that could only be described as impressed.

"We weren't doing anything!" Yuuki cried out.

"Yeah of _course_ you weren't, Yuuki-chan." Jamie butted in, barely restraining his laughter.

"Erm… I should probably get going." Kaname announced, still staring at the floor. Yuuki noticed for the first time that Kaname's cheeks were a slight tint of pink.

_Awww cute _Yuuki thought_ he's shy._

"No, don't please. I feel bad now. We interrupted something." Yori pleaded.

"No it's ok. I have a meeting to get to." Kaname murmured.

"Oh, Kaname-san?" Jamie called out.

"Hai?" Kaname answered, with his back to him.

"Are you attending Shiki-san's party tomorrow night?" Jamie enquired.

"Oh shit, yeah, Yuuki." Kaname turned, caught Yuukis eye, blushed and instead addressed her feet. "That was why I came down. Senri Shiki has invited you to his mothers' celebration tomorrow!"

Yuuki was flattered, "I would be honoured to attend" she replied.

"Well seeing as me and Sara are also going…" Yuuki barely managed to stop her eyes flashing red at the mention of her rivals name "…we'll pick you up if you want."

"Arigatou - that would be great." Yuuki spoke through her teeth. Kaname looked up and stared into Yuuki's eyes she blushed but did not look away; she wanted Kaname to know how jealous she felt. Kaname soon got the message. He smiled at Yuuki and Yuuki felt as if her heart had melted at the sight.

"Great, I'll knock at six. Goodbye Yuuki." he turned, and exited through the open door.

"Goodbye Kaname." Yuuki whispered, and she once again felt that something had left that she desperately needed.

_Why? Why does he have this effect on me? Could I be…? Could it mean that I… No shush Yuuki!!!!_

"Oh my gosh!!!" Yori squealed, when she knew Kaname was out of earshot. "You have _got_ to tell me everything."

"What's to tell?" Yuuki sighed, "It's not what you think."

Yori tutted impatiently. "Not what I think?! Come on Yuuki, I'm not stupid. I know you came home with someone last night. Why didn't you tell me?" she pouted, in a playful way.

"Still not what you think." Yuuki informed.

"How isn't it?" Yori scoffed.

"Last night I came home with Unoki. But I passed out before anything happened. He left, I got a shower, Kaname turned up and we erm… well you both saw." Yuuki dropped onto the sofa, and buried her face into a cushion.

"Yeah we did." Jamie sighed "Anyway, as much as I would love to hear the details to this story, we have to go Yori - the film starts in 25 minutes."

"Oh!" Yori sighed. "Dammit! I'll go get some clothes you go and get the car."

"Ok babe." Jamie replied and kissed Yori affectionately on the lips before leaving. "Oh and Yuuki, Shiki-sans mother is hosting a party for a lot of important people, so formal attire is required." Jamie grinned, as he tortured Yuuki who hated formal get togethers.

Yori went to her room and received her overnight bag. Turning to Yuuki before leaving she said:

"Two words Yuuki: lucky girl!" Yori grinned, and said bye.

Yuuki groaned and lay down on the sofa.

Inside her mind Yuuki made up a to do list for the next two days…

Avoid Kaname

Avoid Sara

Go shopping

Go to that stupid formal thing

Stop thinking about kissing him again!!!!

Out of everything new that Yuuki had to deal with in her relatively new life as a Pureblood vampire the thing she hated the most was formal gatherings where the vampire council was in attendance. All those stuck up nobles may look up to her and respect her because of her status as pureblood but Yuuki could tell by there faces and pompous attitude that they did not believe she should belong in the elite, still an ex-human despite her heritage. Usually she made excuses not to attend but now that Kaname had invited her and was picking her up she could not think of an escape route.

_What the hell am I going to wear? I threw out all my formal clothes after the last soirée_

Sighing Yuuki figured that she would have to go shopping either that afternoon or early the next morning. Not that she found this entirely unacceptable she had not been shopping in at least five days but the thought of standing around in a dress shop for hours on end being poked and prodded by sharp needles by a clumsy old woman who can barely see made Yuuki shudder.

_I suppose I'll just have to grin and bare it. For Shiki-sans sake. It was nice of him and his mother to invite me seeing as I have only met him once. It could be fun._

Yuuki shivered from cold but made no effort to move. She was so tired.

_I'll just close my eyes for a minute or two I need to get dressed and go and get fitted for a dress. Why? Why must they be blind and deaf? I make myself perfectly audible when screaming in pain. _

Yuuki smiled at herself and closed her eyes and snuggled into the pillow next to her head. Within seconds she was asleep. Her breathing was deep, before long she was dreaming and began talking in her sleep.

"Kaname…" she whispered

A small smile appeared on her face and if anyone had been watching (A/N: besides being a pervert) they would have wondered in wondrous confusion what she was dreaming about.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6: Poison.**

**Phew! Finally chapter six. Took me ages to write i've been ill so i couldn't think of anything to write.**

**Here we go again.....**

* * *

"Yori!" Yuuki pouted "I can't believe you aren't going!"

Yori, who was sitting on the couch reading a magazine, looked up at Yuuki apologetically. "I'm really, really sorry Yuuki but Jamie is so ill; I don't feel right leaving him on his own."

"Jeez!" Yuuki replied. "You've only been dating for a few weeks and you're freaking inseparable." Yuuki put on a babyish voice and pretended to cry. "I am so hurt Yori, you promised you wouldn't leave me!!"

Yori cast Yuuki an annoyed look, but this soon passed when she saw Yuuki restraining fits of laughter.

"Yuuki, don't do that to me!" Yori sulked. "Gomen, but he's ill - I'm worried."

Yuuki smiled at her best friend. "I'm only having a laugh Yori. It's cute, you guys suit each other."

Yori grinned at her. "Anyway…" Yuuki asked, moving in front of her friend. "What do you think?" Yuuki did a slow twirl so Yori could see her dress.

Yuuki had gone out that morning after sleeping through most of the previous afternoon. After hours of painstakingly boring fitting sessions Yuuki had finally emerged from the store, rather happy with herself.

Yuuki was wearing a very beautiful strapless, lilac dress. The bodice was fitted and accentuated Yuuki's curvaceous body. The neckline was low, but respectable, and enhanced her cleavage but did not make her look like a whore (A/N: as in not popping out of her dress). The skirt was made of loose silk and flowed over her legs, stopping just above the knee on one side and cutting diagonally stopping near her ankle on the other. She was wearing two inch silver heels which Yuuki found extremely difficult to walk in.

Yuuki's long hair had been teased into tight curls and, although had turned out to be a little larger than Yuuki would have liked, looked great. Her fringe and the foremost strands of hair on either side of her face had been pinned back and were held tightly with a silver clip at the back of her head. She was wearing simple diamond earrings which had been a gift from Zero for her 18th birthday and a delicate silver chain hung around her small neck and bore a heart shaped pendant with a purple stone, set in the centre, which rested on her chest.

"Perfect, as always." Yori smiled.

"Arigatou, Yori-chan... shit, I need to brush my teeth!" Yuuki squeaked, and tried to walk quickly to the bathroom.

"Yori, what time is it?" Yuuki shouted through from the bathroom with a mouthful of toothpaste, sounding like a talking beaver gargling water.

Yori looked up from her article and glanced at the clock above the fireplace, "5:55." Yori replied.

Yuuki screamed in horror. "He'll be here in five minutes ... Buggar!!!" Loud crashes echoed around the apartment, followed by a few of Yuuki's favourite swear words, before she tumbled into the living room looking harassed.

"Calm down Yuuki. I doubt you have to leave at six on the dot." Yori assured her.

Yuuki ignored this and continued pulling cushions off of the sofa and throwing them behind her, picking up papers off of the coffee table, before looking under them, sighing, and dropping them back down.

"What on earth are you looking for?" Yori giggled.

"My bag…" Yuuki grumbled, "You know - the small silver one. I could have sworn I had it a minute ago."

"If by a minute you mean two weeks then, yeah, you did." Yori stood up sighing, and rolled her magazine in a tube and hit Yuuki on the head with it.

"Hey!"" Yuuki cried defensively. "Watch the hair." Yori laughed, and walked off towards Yuukis bedroom. Yuuki looked after her curiously and heard Yori rummaging around in some storage space before crying out:

"Found it!"

Yuuki sighed and grinned. "What would I do without you?" she asked.

"Burn and die?" Yori suggested.

"I was thinking more along the lines of… live a rich life and be happy, but what the hell." Yuuki and Yori looked at each other and collapsed into fits of giggles. Yuuki thanked Yori and started to gather her things. Mobile? Check. Keys? Check. Lip-gloss? Check. Anything else?

Yuuki cast her eyes onto the pit she called an apartment, searching for any other item she might need.

"Make sure you don't bring anyone home tonight, Jamie and I are sleeping here and I don't want to be up all night!" Yori teased.

Yuuki cast an evil look at Yori and said in a matter of fact tone: "For your information, Sayori Wakaba, I don't intend on getting drunk tonight… My heads killing me!" Yuuki grinned.

"Yuuki Cross." Yori replied in the exact same tone. "Do you ever plan to get drunk?"

"Yeah, you're right!" Yuuki agreed, and laughed.

_Knock! Knock! Knock!_

Glancing at the clock Yuuki saw it was exactly 6:00pm. _Wow, he's punctual. _Yuuki thought

Smiling in a pained way, Yuuki strolled over to the door and opened it.

Standing in the doorway Kaname Kuran looked like a god in human form. Well, in Yuuki's eyes anyway. He looked up and caught her eye, before grinning enthusiastically at her - a smile which she promptly returned. Kaname looked as good as ever; he was wearing plain black pants and a black dress coat which hung open to reveal a baggy white dress shirt unbuttoned slightly at the top. His hair was in its usual messy state, but all in all, the sight of him was pretty damn good!

"Good evening Yuuki." he said softly.

"Good evening Kaname." Yuuki returned, looking behind Kaname. Yuuki asked him in a confused voice. "Where's Sara? Is she not coming?" Yuuki sounded hopeful, but her heart sank when she heard his reply.

"Yes, she is, she just needs a little longer to get ready. Since I promised to knock at 6, I thought it best to come now. You don't mind if we wait here for her do you?"

"Of course not." Yuuki answered through her teeth.

"Great!" Kaname exclaimed. "Oh and by the way you look lovely."

Blushing, Yuuki stepped aside to allow Kaname entrance to her apartment, but rather than going straight in he stopped in front of her and leaned in to kiss her on the cheek. Yuuki could not help but to close her eyes when his lips made contact with her cheek, causing her heartbeat to increase. Goosebumps became present on her skin once more and a small shiver of excitement and pleasure ran down Yuukis spine. Breathing deeply, Yuuki inhaled his scent; a mixture of cinnamon and honey. It was intoxicating to her and she hated him even more for it. Hating him was something which she knew she could never accomplish; there was just something about him that made her weak at the knees. It made her feel like everything was complete.

Yuuki felt as if time had stood still for that moment and when he broke contact she could not help but feel saddened. She knew that tonight, he belonged to Sara and somehow this thought caused Yuuki's heart to break.

Kaname continued into the apartment and sat down next to Yori. Yuuki left the door open so that they could all be aware of when Sara arrived. Striding over to the comfy armchair to the left of the sofa, Yuuki dropped into it, sighing, and propped her feet onto the crowded coffee table. It was not exactly the ladylike manner of the pureblooded vampire she was expected to act like. Tonight, however, Yuuki could not muster the energy to care.

"Gomen Kaname-kun. We haven't had chance to tidy up yet; I was planning on doing it before I go and pick up Jamie." Yori started apologetically. She would never normally have allowed the apartment to get into such a state, but as she had been at Jamie's house for three days Yuuki had been left to do whatever she wanted, and sadly cleaning was not one of those things.

"It's not a problem, Yori. I don't mind." Kaname hastily reassured Yori. However it did not help much and Yori now looked awkwardly around the apartment, itching to clean up.

"For heaven sake, Yori, just clean!" Yuuki chuckled, when she caught sight of her friend.

Yori smiled, got up and started picking up rubbish off of the table and the floor, before proceeding into the kitchen to retrieve a rubbish bag.

Kaname and Yuuki sat in silence for the majority of Yori's absence. Finally, after becoming too uncomfortable with the silence between them, Yuuki spoke quietly so that Yori did not hear.

"Kaname, Gomen-nasai… about yesterday." Yuuki whispered.

"What? Don't be! I thought it was amazing." Kaname looked at Yuuki with a slight devilish glint in his eye, as a cheeky grin spread across his face. Yuuki blushed again and could not help but grin as well.

"The queen has arrived!" a familiar, but infuriating voice, announced. Looking at the door, Yuuki and Kaname both saw Sara strolling into the apartment, without even knocking.

Yuukis look of disgust was easily mistaken by Sara as a look of awe. "You like, Yuuki-san?"

Sara stood opposite Yuuki and repeatedly twirled to allow her a chance to look at the... ahem… _dress _she was wearing.

_Dress?! _Yuuki thought _Looks more like a tea towel if you ask me!_

Yuuki stared wide eyed at Sara and took in her lame excuse for clothing. Sara was wearing a short red dress. The neckline was high and came up to her collarbone and the long sleeves stopped at her wrists, but what it lacked in exposure of the chest, it made up for in exposure of the thighs. The "dress" ended just as her legs began, covering everything when standing… but if she sat down or bent over, literally nothing would have been left to the imagination. The skin of Sara's back was unforgivably uncovered, from the shoulders thin straps of red material criss-crossed across her skin before stopping at the very bottom of her back. Her gangly legs were poured into what looked like red, heeled gladiator sandals. Her long blonde hair was straight and was all over one shoulder. Slowly, so that her hair did not fall out of place, Sara turned for Yuuki.

Sara grinned at Yuuki, and Yuuki, pulling out of her shocked trance, forced a smile onto her face.

"Very much so, Sara-san. It's very, erm… what's the word…you." Yuuki stumbled her way through this compliment, taking extreme care not to let it show that she thought Sara resembled the vindictive tramp she had for a personality.

_Well, if I squint and tilt my head to the left slightly, she looks reasonably ok. _Yuuki thought and giggled to herself manically, receiving very accusatory looks from Sara.

"Gomen-nasai, Sara-san, I just remembered something I watched on television the other night. My mind has a tendency to wander onto random things every now and again." Yuuki rushed.

"Not a problem, Yuuki-san." Sara beamed, before turning to Kaname and attempted to engage him in conversation.

Yuuki rose from her armchair and was just about to enter the kitchen to talk to Yori, when her quarry emerged, carrying black bin liner and polish.

"Time to clean… whoa, she looks like a…." Yori blurted out, but abruptly stopped when Yuuki elbowed her in the stomach.

"A model!" Yori stammered. "A model… yeah, that's it… very nice." Yori shifted uncomfortably under Sara's gaze, but much to Yuuki's relief, Kaname stepped in.

"I think it's time we left Yuuki, Sara. We'll be late." his voice dripped with warning, as he shot a look at Sara that clearly said 'keep you mouth shut'.

"Oh yes, of course. Goodbye Yori-chan." Sara sneered, before exiting the apartment. From behind her Yuuki shot daggers at her, and if looks could kill, Sara would have been decomposing on the floor. Noticing Yori's hurt expression, Yuuki contorted her face and stuck her tongue out at Sara's retreating back, causing Yori to burst out into fits of hysterical laughter and a small smile to appear on Kanames face.

"Have a good night Yuuki." Yori said, still smiling.

"You too, Yori. And don't stay up too late." Yuuki replied, giving Yori a hug whilst trying to avoid getting polish on her dress. She grabbed her bag off of the table and stooped to pick up the bottom of her dress so that she did not trip over it. Smiling at Kaname, she too walked out of the apartment. Kaname turned and bowed respectfully to Yori, who half waved at him, before he then made to follow Yuuki making sure he shut the door behind him.

Kaname strode over to where Sara and Yuuki were standing near the elevator. He noticed the red light of the down button glowing and saw that Sara was impatient to enter the lift. He could tell that she was dying to say something.

_Vindictive tramp. Gosh I hate her! She had no right to speak to Yori like that. Seriously, she better hope I don't meet her in a dark alley or I'll… I'll… gouge her eyes out with blunt spoons. Wow that was lame! I need to think of better way to hurt people._

Yuuki's internal conversation gave her a dazed expression and she seemed blissfully unaware of the fact that the elevator had arrived. At least that was until Kaname placed his hand under her elbow and guided her in, chuckling. As soon as their skin made contact Yuuki snapped to reality and nervously avoided his eyes. It might kill her, but nothing was going to happen between them tonight.

"Yuuki, can I ask you something?" Sara swiftly requested.

"Shoot" Yuuki replied in a bored voice

"What do you see in Yori-chan? She was so inconsiderate before, I'm not stupid; I know what she was thinking about my dress. For her information, this is high fashion, only 35th in the world, but she wouldn't know anything like that would she? Honestly she is the most impolite, fashion-rejected, moronic, narrow-minded, stuck-up person I have ever met!" Sara ranted, but when she drew breath she instantly knew she had crossed the line.

Yuuki's eyes were a deep shade of red and when she spoke, her voice was low and menacing, causing Sara to back away from her.

"For _YOUR_ information Sara-san." Yuuki hissed, putting an emphasis on the honorific as if it was poison for her to spit out. "Sayori Wakaba is the kindest person I know. She is not impolite, just opinionated. And as for fashion-rejected… it may have escaped the notice of _YOUR_ narrow-minded skull that as her family, Wakaba, owns "Star" -the most prestigious fashion magazine in Japan, she knows a lot about fashion. She's just not so full of herself to broadcast it to the world."

Kaname looked at her shocked; he never knew Yuuki could be so daunting.

Sara was looking at Yuuki wide-eyed not able to think of anything to say in return. Finally, becoming aware of herself, she stammered the words.

"Gomen Yuuki-san. Forgive me; I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions… Yuuki are you even listening to me?" She demanded.

The elevator had now reached the ground floor, and the three purebloods stepped out into the foyer and started across the hall.

"Of course I am, Sara-san." Yuuki sighed.

"You have the attention span of a flea, you know that don't you?" Kaname chuckled, glancing at the small brunette a little way in front of him.

"Oi!" Yuuki shouted, sounding offended. "I do not have a short attention span, it's just that… oooooh look, a kitty!" Yuuki squealed, and ran towards the window and pressed her nose to the glass, hoping she could fall through it and grab the cat.

"My point exactly…" Kaname said quietly, smiling at her naivety in a fond way.

Kaname whistled at the usher who nodded and walked away. Within minutes he had reappeared driving Kaname's black Lamborghini, stepping out, he held the driver's door open for Kaname who stepped forward and grabbed the keys off of him.

"Arigatou." he muttered, before climbing into the driver's seat. The usher then hastily made his way round to the passenger side, and opened the door for Yuuki and Sara. Yuuki moved forwards and slowly and carefully slid into the back seat of the car, silently hoping that Kaname had not been watching, as he would have gotten a very good peak down her top.(A/N: PERVERT!!! Gomen I don't know what possesses me to write these things!).

Afterwards Sara gracefully leant downwards and slid into the passenger seat next to Kaname, but not before she gave the usher an eyeful of her underwear. Yuuki noticed the man walking away with a very disturbing smirk on his ugly face.

_Urgh! _Yuuki thought,_ Disgusting!!!_

Driving to the event the only noises from the car was the music emitting from the stereo between the two in the front. Yuuki sang along to the ones she knew, silently, staring out of the window at the passing streets. Returning her attention back to the inside of the car, Yuuki looked out of the windscreen, only to see Kaname gazing tenderly at her through the rear view mirror - which had been fixed since the last time she had been in the car. Yuuki met his eyes for a moment and felt a buzz run through her whole body; she smiled innocently and became aware of the fact that her heart did at least two dozen back flips when he returned the smile, before diverting his attention back to the road. Looking at the mop of hair in front of her, Yuuki saw Sara vainly staring at her reflection in the mirror, smiling at what she saw, before reapplying her red lipstick.

_Whore alert!!! _Yuuki thought, and once again smiled at her own evilness.

After what seemed like an age to Yuuki, she heard the faint screaming of excited girls and was instantly reminded of her days as a guardian at cross academy, when she would hold back hoards of adoring girls from molesting the vampiric gods of the night class. Turning a corner, Yuuki was greeted once again by the flashing of cameras as photographers took photos of the car as it pulled up, desperately trying to see who was inside it.

Kaname slowed to a halt just in front of the red carpet, and waited for the usher to open his door. Yuuki glanced at Sara when the door opened as was thrilled to see a sour expression on her face. This puzzled Yuuki for a moment, but then she realised that the red carpet was on the driver's side and it would be impossible for her to exit the car that way, so she had to put up with walking around the car and receiving less initial attention than those stepping onto the red carpet directly… a.k.a, Kaname and Yuuki. For at that moment, Kaname swung his seat forwards and extended his hand inside the car towards Yuuki. Hesitant at first, Yuuki just looked at his hand but then decided not to be rude, and reached out her own. Once again, as Yuuki's skin made contact with Kaname's, she felt strange but in a good way. Sliding over to the drivers' side, she looked up into Kaname's eyes; he nodded and gave her a reassuring smile. Yuuki smiled back bravely and stuck one slender leg out of the black Lamborghini, making her pale, porcelain skin stand out against the midnight black of the car.

All eyes were on Yuuki as she emerged from the car and she could not help but blush a little; she felt like a celebrity. Straightening up, Yuuki grinned at Kaname and took a step away from the car, making sure the train of her dress was not about to be caught in the door. Kaname casually threw his car keys towards a young man standing at the foot of the carpet who clumsily held onto the cold metal as if they were precious items, but then clambered towards the car, bowing to Yuuki and Kaname before seating himself in the drivers' seat and driving the car away. Sara now wanted her time in the limelight. Stepping forwards, into the place were the car had just been, she strutted towards Kaname as if she were a princess. Grinning manically at any camera pointed in her direction, Yuuki thought that Sara resembled a demonic clown from a horror movie she had watched once with Yori, and laughed out loud.

_Her laugh is beautiful, like chimes. Oh how I love that sound. _Kaname thought to himself, as he gazed fondly into the face of the small brunette standing before him. As he was paying more attention to Yuuki's facial features, Kaname failed to notice Sara striding up behind him and only became aware of this when she tapped him on the shoulder. Turning reluctantly to look at the girl he shamefully called his girlfriend; he was taken by surprise when she planted a passionate kiss on his lips. Suddenly, cameras whirled and a few of the cameramen wolf whistled. Deciding to give them a show, Kaname closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around the leggy blonde, before spinning her and pulling her downwards. He was now standing over Sara, kissing her passionately as she held her arms tightly around his neck, while bending backwards as far as she could go. (A/N: Think Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes that time on the red carpet in Hollywood).

Straightening up, Sara giggled childishly and attempted to rearrange her hair into its previous condition. Smiling smugly, Kaname turned to his right and his heart fell as his eyes fell on Yuuki. So caught up in the moment Kaname had momentarily forgotten about the one person that mattered most to him in this world: Yuuki!

"Ah…Yuuki… erm…" Kaname spluttered.

Yuuki's expression was rather comical; her eyes were wide in shock and her eyebrows had disappeared into her hairline.

"Wow...good show." she half laughed, sounding as though she did not really care; but not letting it show that, inside, she was dying.

_Bitch!_ She thought. _Bastard! Right in front of my fucking eyes_. _She did that on purpose, oh how I wish I could wrap my hands around her scrawny little neck… oh no, I'm frowning._

Hastily contorting her face back into a smile, Yuuki diverted her eyes away from Kaname and towards the paparazzi. Smiling and waving, she started towards the door.

"Ladies?" asked Kaname, from behind Yuuki's back. She turned and saw he had extended his arms to both of his female companions. Sara had already latched onto him like glue and he was now waiting for Yuuki to do as well. He looked at her, sorrowful and pleading, and his eyes glistened in the light; Yuuki was captivated.

_Damn him! I need to learn to resist those eyes!!!_

Shaking her head, she strolled towards the tall, handsome figure and looped her arm through his but still putting a little distance between the two of them. She was now extremely interested in the screaming fan girls surrounding her, and had now decided to give Kaname the cold shoulder. Walking down the red carpet, the three of them stood out from the others around them. Not only were they vampires; naturally more beautiful than the humans, they were also purebloods, which made them like roses in a field of lilies; exquisite among the rest. Gods in human form. Yuuki found this idea rather amusing. A general description of vampires consisted of "beasts in human form" yet here; they were respected and coveted for their outstanding beauty. Kaname in the middle, Yuuki on his left and Sara on his right and the tree of them together really did turn heads and cameras. Yuuki reckoned at least 7 million photos had been taken of the three of them together.

As they drew nearer to the entrance to the building the fans died away, the fences blocking their path towards them had ended, and now the only person Yuuki could see was someone who could only be described as a bouncer at the door.

"Good evening, Seiren." Kaname nodded at the girl standing there.

"Kaname-sama." she replied, bowing to the three of them.

"Yuuki" Kaname said, turning to face Yuuki. "May I introduce my bodyguard, Seiren? Her family and mine have been connected for generations and I am grateful for her loyalty."

"I am honoured, Yuuki-sama." Seiren said, as she bowed to her.

Slightly uncomfortable at the formality, Yuuki inclined her head and replied: "Likewise Seiren" and shot a small at the pale, silver haired woman.

Yuuki then turned to her companions and grimaced: "Shall we get this over with then?" Kaname smiled at her, and proceeded indoors, closely followed by Sara and Yuuki trailing behind. Yuuki noticed that after the disappearance of Kaname, Seiren was now nowhere to be seen.

_I wonder how she does that_ Yuuki questioned, making a mental note to ask Seiren to teach her that particular party trick. _Good way to avoid a certain someone_

Walking through the doors, Yuuki found herself in a dark corridor. A cold draft issued from somewhere ahead and she shivered a little from cold, but mainly she was nervous for some reason; she always made a bad impression with people from the council of ancients. Silently crying on the inside, Yuuki braced herself for a night of snooty old men, and boring dances. Sighing, Yuuki fell into step behind Kaname and Sara. Staring absentmindedly at their backs, Yuuki's eyes travelled along Sara's red clad arm and found that her fingers were entwined with Kanames. Closing her eyes at the sight, she breathed deeply, in an attempt to control her anger.

_He belongs with her. Nothing more can ever happen between us_. _We might be equal in blood status but he is so much more respected than I am…He and I can never happen. I know this… but why does my heart hurt so much?_

"Yuuki-sama?" a voice resonated through her thought, and she opened her eyes, back into sickening reality. "Are you ok?"

"Eh? What?" Yuuki said, dazed.

Looking upwards, her eyes journeyed up the defined torso of someone who seemed familiar to her. Reaching the face of the recognisable stranger, Yuuki saw the kind green eyes of Takuma Ichijou.

"Are you ok?" he repeated, sounding concerned.

"Ah, Hai… Ichijou-san, gomen... I was thinking." Yuuki explained.

"Obviously." Sara pointed out scornfully. Her pretence of liking Yuuki had now dropped, but Yuuki failed to care.

"Well hopefully it was nothing that has upset you, Yuuki-sama." Ichijou smiled at her, and she smiled back; grateful for some kindness.

"No. Nothing upsetting, just a small problem I'm having." she explained, darting her eyes in Sara's direction before bringing them back to his.

"Ah yes. Well we all appear to have the same problem." he whispered, before offering his arm to Yuuki. She took it, holding onto the sleeve of his dark dress jacket, boldly but not too tightly, so that she didn't cut off circulation to his arm.

"Really?" Yuuki whispered excitedly; she was anxious to know what others thought of the blonde attached to Kaname's arm.

Ichijou began slowing slightly, to allow Kaname and Sara to get a little further ahead, so that he could raise his voice a little.

"Really. Everyone you met at Aidou's birthday, and Seiren who you have no doubt just met, all know that Sara Shirabuki is only with Kaname because as the only heir to the Kuran bloodline he is the strongest pureblood in the world. She wants his blood to make herself and her family stronger." Ichijou explained.

Yuuki stopped in shock "Oh my gosh! Who would do that? Does Kaname know this?" she asked, concerned.

"Of course he does." Takuma said, restarting their walk to the ballroom.

"Then why doesn't he leave her?" Yuuki cried.

"Because the council arranged their marriage and unless he can find a suitable replacement, as in more his equal, the wedding will go ahead as planned this coming winter." Ichijou explained, not realising what sort of impact his words would have on Yuuki.

"They're engaged!!" she shouted.

Ichijou looked at her confused. "Did you not know, Yuuki-sama?

"No." she whispered bluntly. Yuuki swore that she felt her heart breaking and used most of her energy making sure that the tears that were welling up in her eyes did not fall down her cheeks.

"Ah…" Ichijou stammered. "Yuuki-sama? Could you not tell Kaname that I told you? I don't think he would be too pleased with me." Ichijou pleaded.

Forcing a pained smile onto her face, she looked at him reassuringly.

"Of course not, Ichijou-san. Why would I do that?" she said, hoping she sounded convincing. Yuuki flashed a smile at Ichijou and allowed him to lead her towards the ballroom.

"Unfortunately Yuuki-sama I must leave you now, I am conducting security alongside Akatsuki-kun for the first. half of the evening. Could I have the honour of dancing with you later in the evening?" Ichijou asked nervously

Smiling at her friend, Yuuki nodded and said: "It would be I, who would be honoured."

By this point Yuuki and Ichijou had entered the main hall and were now standing at the top of a majestic flight of stairs. Ichijou smiled at Yuuki and reached for her hand before he brought it to his lips.

"Arigatou. Yuuki-sama." he then kissed her hand lightly, causing her to blush. He smiled once more at Yuuki and allowed her hand to slip from his grip and fall back to her side.

Yuuki breathed deeply to calm her nerves and stooped to grab the material of her dress that had been trailing along the floor. Walking nervously towards the banister, she grabbed hold with her free hand, and started to descend the huge flight of stairs. Yuukis nerves were magnified when she realised that at least two dozen pairs of eyes were following her journey down the stairs.

Waiting at the very bottom of the stairs were Sara and Kaname accompanied by a handsome brunette Yuuki recognised as Senri Shiki and a beautiful girl with sunshine coloured hair she knew to be Rima Touya. However, they were all standing, talking to an older woman who Yuuki did not recognise.

"Yuuki, finally." Sara greeted Yuuki; once again resume the façade of liking her. "We were all wondering were you had gotten to."

"Gomen-nasai, I was speaking with Ichijou-san." Yuuki replied coldly, making no effort to hide her dislike of the blonde.

"Yuuki..." Kaname interrupted, "May I introduce Mai Shiki, Senris' mother?" (A/N: Gomen I do not know Shikis' mothers name so I made it up. If you know tell me and I'll change it)

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Yuuki-sama." she mumbled, and gave Yuuki the impression that she was a shy person who rarely socialised.

"Not at all, the pleasure is all mine. Arigatou, to you and your son for inviting me." Yuuki smiled gently, and Mai was taken aback; she was so used to Saras unpleasant attitude that she did not expect such friendly behaviour from a pureblood.

Smiling slightly, Mai excused herself and walked away from the group. "Yuuki-sama. We are very pleased that you could come." Shiki muttered.

"Likewise, Shiki-san." Yuuki replied, before turning her attention to Rima. "Rima-chan, can I just say you look amazing this evening."

Rima blushed and grinned. Her golden hair was free from its usual restraints of pigtails and was resting on her shoulders. She was wearing a short dress, though not as short as Saras, which stopped half way down her thighs. The dress had thick stripes all along the length of it and was decorated with all the colours of the rainbow. Rather than a strapless dress she had opted for a half strapless. The thick red stripe continued over her left shoulder, but bared the pale skin of her right shoulder. The effect: Shiki could not keep his eyes off of her.

"Arigatou, Yuuki-sama." Rima grinned, and shot a pleased look at Shiki who was staring at her affectionately. "Shiki, would you like to dance?" she asked boldly. Slightly taken aback by her forwardness, Shiki agreed and took Rima's hand, before leading her onto the dance floor.

"Kaname!" Sara begged.

"Ok." he replied, sounding annoyed as he allowed Sara to also lead him onto the dance floor

Following them with her eyes, Yuuki sighed and turned away. She made her way over to the food table and picked up a glass of blood tablet solution.

The reason Yori was not attending was because Jamie was faking illness. Being so close to Aidou, Jamie knew who was a vampire and who wasn't. Everyone in attendance at the stupid party was a vampire, but since Yori did not know about the existence of vampires Jamie did not want her to be in any harm, and so had informed Yuuki that he and Yori would not be going. Now more than ever Yuuki felt alone. Yori was not there to keep her company, and now Takuma was busy acting security. Leaving Yuuki alone.

"Yuuki-sama, how lovely to see you!" someone exclaimed behind her. Yuuki turned, almost spilling the crimson liquid down her dress, but she managed to steady herself before damage was done. Yuuki's eyes fell on an elderly member of the council and her heart fell.

_Here we go_ She thought, but smiled anyway.

"Katsuma Tanaka, I did not expect to see you here?" Yuuki questioned.

"Likewise, Yuuki-sama, what brings you here? I thought you disliked council get togethers." he smiled in a friendly way, which made Yuuki think he had had a little too much champagne; no one from the council was friendly to Yuuki.

"I received a personal invitation from Mai Shiki and her son. I thought that it would be rude of me not to attend; anyway I have met Shiki-san on a previous occasion and thought that it would be a good chance for me to get to know him a little better." Yuuki explained, and Katsuma smiled at her

"Yes, I suppose you're right; a pureblood such as yourself can never have too many friends." His tone made Yuuki wonder what he meant, but she nodded anyway.

"Speaking of young Senri-kun," he added, "he and Rima-chan seem to get along well together." he had turned to where the others of the party were dancing. Yuuki followed his example, whilst sipping from her glass.

"Hai, they seem to be the best of friends." Yuuki agreed.

"Not only that, but I have heard a rumour that they are also mates." he whispered, as if it were a scandal.

"If that is so, we have no reason to whisper about it. What they do together is their own business, and I personally see no reason for me or any of us for that matter to interfere." Yuuki pointed out in an angry tone. She hated the way the council felt like it was their privilege to poke their noses into everyone's private lives.

Katsuma looked at Yuuki with a mixture of shock and annoyance spread across his face, and was about to voice his opinion, when he was interrupted by a deep voice from Yuuki's right.

"Well said, Yuuki-sama." Yuuki turned and was pleased to see Akatsuki Kain and his cousin Hanabusa Aidou standing before her. Kain bowed respectfully to Yuuki, and turned to Katsuma.

"Council member Katsuma, I'm sorry to interrupt but you are needed by the other council members and Kaname-sama in the conference room." he informed him.

Katsuma suddenly looked serious and asked in a mocking tone "What is Kaname-sama's request _this _time?"

"I do not know." Kain replied coldly; apparently he did not appreciate anyone speaking ill of Kaname.

"Fine. Yuuki-sama, gomen." he directed at Yuuki, and bowed before departing.

Yuuki let out a sigh of relief. "Thank you Akatsuki-san. You rescued me." she grinned at him.

"It's not a problem Yuuki-sama, we have been told of your dislike for the vampire council." he replied grinning.

"Thought so." Yuuki laughed and turned to Aidou. "You too, Aidou-san, Arigatou."

However, Aidou did not reply, or acknowledge Yuuki in any way. Confused, Yuuki turned to Kain who leant down to whisper in her ear so that Aidou did not hear.

"Gomen, Yuuki-sama, but he has been watching a bit too much television lately and now refuses to answer to anything except Indiana Jones." Kain looked at her, trying to see whether she was offended by his cousins rejection and was thankful to see Yuuki in a fit of hysterical giggles.

"Really?" she enquired.

"Unfortunately, Gomen-nasai." he sighed.

"No don't - I find it amusing." Yuuki said grinning, before turning to Aidou.

"Erm… Indiana-san?" Yuuki uttered, suppressing another fit of giggles.

Aidou turned smiling at her: "Hai, Yuuki-sama."

"Arigatou, you saved me from that guy." she said, trying to sound serious.

"It's not a problem Yuuki-sama." he answered.

"Excuse me, Yuuki-sama. I promised Ruka a dance." Kain declared, before he bowed and walked away.

"Would you care to dance?" Aidou offered.

"Gladly." Yuuki replied happily. She turned and placed her empty glass on the table behind her.

She offered her arm to him, and he laughed before taking it. Mockingly, they both stuck their noses in the air, making fun of the stuck up people at the party. The dance floor was crowded but not so they could not move. Yuuki grasped Aidou's hand and he spun her around in a showy way. Yuuki twirled, and her hair and dress swung away from her body. Her hair swung over her shoulder, and her dress wrapped tightly around her legs for a moment before returning to flowing loosely over her skin. Eyes from every direction stared at her uncommon beauty, the guys staring at her adoringly jealous of Aidou and the girls shot evil looks at her all except the ones who knew her such as Rima and Ruka.

Yuuki stepped forward towards Aidou and placed her hand on his broad, right shoulder while still grasping tightly to his left hand. Likewise, Aidou clung onto Yuuki's right hand while his left arm slunk around her tiny waist, and pulled her closely. Grinning at each other, they started to dance quickly and passionately to the Cha Cha Cha (A/N: see Aleesha Dixon's dance on Youtube to see where I got the idea) turning a lot of heads. Soon the floor was clear, except for Yuuki and Aidou. The other dancers had stopped and were now watching the couple with extreme interest. At first they danced in a confined space, due to the amount of other dancers surrounding them, but as the floor became emptier and emptier their movements became widespread and they travelled from left to right, covering the entire floor. Spinning, twisting and rotating their hips to the upbeat tempo of the song, Aidou and Yuuki dance was the focal point for the entire room. All eyes were on their moving forms and as the song came to an end, Aidou pulled Yuuki towards him at high speed and she threw her head back as her right leg wrapped round his left one. Applause resonated around the room, and Yuuki looked round in shock. She had been so caught up in the dance hat she had failed to notice everyone's eyes on her and Aidou. Giggling slightly, and panting, she and Aidou left the dance floor followed by the entertained faces of the crowd. Grasping onto Aidou's arm to support her, and laughing, Yuuki lead him towards the drinks table.

"Where on earth did you learn to dance like that?" Aidou asked, astonished.

"I could ask you the same thing." Yuuki gasped, reaching for a drink of water.

"I grew up in vampire society! I'm used to these sorts of things, but never in all the parties I have attended has anyone had the guts to dance like _that_ to the Cha Cha Cha." He sounded impressed, but he was panting for air.

"Fair enough. I have no idea to be honest; it's just that as soon as I heard the music my feet did all the work. That was the most fun I've had in ages… Arigatou." Yuuki panted.

"Wow. That was one hell of a way to draw attention." a husky voice spoke from behind Aidou and did not sound amused.

"Ah!" Aidou squealed, sounding oddly like a little girl. "Kaname-sama, gomen-nasai."

Kaname nodded before continuing, "Aidou..." Aidou tensed slightly, as Kaname was not humouring him and calling him Indiana. "Shiki is looking for you, it is time you both took over for Ichijou and Akatsuki."

"Shiki?" Yuuki interrupted. "Why does he have to enforce security? Isn't this his party?"

"Sadly, no." Shiki voiced from behind Yuuki. "It's my mothers party. I have to play my part in this like everyone else." he sounded annoyed; no doubt because he had to leave Rima. However, Yuuki knew that it would not take long for Rima to disappear from the party to join her friend outside.

"Gomen, Yuuki-sama, I must leave now." Aidou bowed and exited with Shiki, leaving Yuuki alone with a ticked off Kaname.

"Yuuki, you should not draw attention to yourself like that. You know what nobles are like. They only want you for your blood." he sounded concerned, but Yuuki was annoyed.

"Kaname, you're not my guardian. I don't need you to hold my hand; I'm not a little girl anymore." Yuuki shouted.

Kaname was shocked at her anger and her new found hatred towards him. Nevertheless he leaned forward towards her and whispered in her ear.

"I know that Yuuki, but I can still want to protect you, can't I? You mean a lot to me Yuuki, more than you know".

Yuuki's heartbeat increased and she was slightly dazed by his confession. So she did not refuse when Kaname took her hand and gently dragged her towards the dance floor once again.

This time the music was slow and relaxing; Kaname's hand gently rested around Yuukis waist as he held her right hand steadily. Her whole body quaked as they grew closer together, her breath quickened as she gasped. He drew her body closer to his, so that her chest pressed against his, as the song started the swayed slowly. So, at peace and content, despite her earlier resistance and loathing for him and his fiancée, she rested her head on Kanames shoulder. Breathing deeply, Yuuki closed her eyes and smiled.

"You have no idea how happy I feel when you smile because of me Yuuki." Kaname whispered in Yuuki's ear.

She shivered, but looked up. "How can you say that Kaname?"

Kaname stopped dancing and Yuuki dropped her arms from his touch.

"What do you mean?" Kaname questioned.

"You always say things like that. When we're together, you act as if I'm the only girl in the world you care about…" Yuuki started.

"You are." Kaname assured her.

"No, stop. Let me finish. You say that, and yet when Sara is around, you act as though I don't exist. Outside, after Aidou's party, in the lift with her, before in my apartment. You never even look at me. You have no idea how that feels." Yuuki now had tears in her eyes that were dangerously close to falling, but she held them back. "I hate seeing you together, but I have to deal with it, you belong with her."

"I don't want her though." Kaname stated, trying to bring Yuuki closer to him, but she held him back by placing a hand on his chest. She could feel his heartbeat through the material of his white shirt.

"You don't mean that! If you did you wouldn't be engaged to her! No matter what the council says. If you don't want to be with someone then you don't stay with them. I never got the impression from you that you would allow anyone to rule over you, but that's exactly what you are doing." Yuuki had now lost control, and single tear escaped down her cheek; the sight made Kaname's heart break.

"Yuuki, don't cry. She means nothing to me." he whispered, and raised a hand to wipe away the tear, but she hit it away.

"Yuuki?" Kaname asked, upset. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying, Kaname, go back to your fiancée. Leave me alone" Yuuki declared, before running off and leaving Kaname stunned; upset and alone on the dance floor.

Yuuki ran up the stairs and turned left. She did not know where she was going; she just needed to put as much distance between herself and Kaname as possible. Stopping inside a darkened hallway, she panted and tried to stem the flow of tears, but she just couldn't stop. After what seemed like hours, Yuuki finally sniffed up and wiped away the tears from her eyes. Taking deep breaths to calm her, Yuuki started walking once again. Nowhere around her seemed familiar. She was lost.

_Great! I'm lost, and now Kaname will turn up and save me and I'll have to be all grateful, but I don't want him to. That's it, I'm going to get so lost he can't find me._

Yuuki kept walking and walking, until suddenly the faint noise of music reached her ears, but it was not the same kind of ballroom music she had heard at the party; this was rock music. As Yuuki curiously kept walking towards the noise, she recognised it as "Runaway" by Bon Jovi; one of her favourite songs.

Yuuki halted outside of a brown door and pressed her ears to the hard wood. Without a doubt the music was coming from inside the room and so, filled with curiosity, Yuuki turned the doorknob and walked in. The music was louder in here, and Yuuki saw that she must have entered a games room. Inside were a few arcade games, an air hockey game, a snooker table, as well as loads of other arcade games. Leaning over the snooker table, about to take a shot, was Ichijou. He looked up, surprised, when Yuuki closed the door.

.

"Yuuki-sama? What are you doing here?" he asked

Ichijou had no doubt gotten bored of the party, and retreated here. For his dress jacket was hung over the back of one of the armchairs in front of the television, and he had removed his tie, and undone his shirt slightly. Yuuki thought that he looked rather good.

"Gomen, Ichijou-san. I did not mean to intrude. I got lost and heard your music, so I followed it. I'll leave if you want me to." She said quickly.

"No, don't, I'll be glad of the company." He smiled at her and she moved closer.

"Come on then, restart; I'll have a game with you." Yuuki grinned, and grabbed another cue from the rack on the wall, before slipping off her shoes.

"Ah, that's better." she sighed, and walked over to the snooker table. By this time Ichijou had reset the game and was chalking his cue. Yuuki copied and then asked:

"If you want company, why don't you return to the party?"

Ichijou sighed and replied, "I regret to say Yuuki-sama that I don't really like parties. Shiki and I often spend time here when we aren't busy, so really, I have free reign in this house to do whatever I want."

"Oh," Yuuki responded "I don't like them much either."

Ichijou laughed, and started the game.

"I'm useless at this," Yuuki wailed, "I can barely hit them."

"No you're not, you just need a bit of practice." Ichijou said kindly.

Yuuki straightened up and chalked her cue, but she dropped it clumsily.

"Buggar!" she exclaimed.

"No problem, I'll get it." Ichijou offered.

But Yuuki sensed someone approaching, and had a feeling that she did not want them to see her.

"No." she warned. "I'll get it." and she dived to the floor, out of sight, under the snooker table. Waiting.

The door creaked open, and Aidou walked in. "Ichijou-san, have you seen Yuuki-sama?"

"Yuuki-sama? Erm…" Ichijou replied.

Yuuki had silently crawled towards Ichijou's legs beneath the table and pinched his leg warningly.

"No I haven't, why?" Ichijou enquired on Yuuki's behalf.

"Kaname-sama sent me to look her; he needs to speak with her." Aidou replied. "Anyway, if you see her send her to the ballroom, he seems pretty pissed but then again that could just be at me." Aidou smiled and Ichijou laughed uncomfortably. "Don't stay in here all night, ok."

"Ok." Ichijou replied.

Aidou left, and when Yuuki was sure he was gone, she crawled out from under the table.

"Phew, that was close." she smiled. "Arigatou, Ichijou-san."

"Not a problem; but can I ask why _are_ you avoiding Kaname-sama?" Ichijou enquired.

"Because we had a little argument before." Yuuki explained, acting as though it did not matter.

"Really? What about?" he asked innocently.

"If you don't mind, I'd rather not talk about it." Yuuki said awkwardly.

"Of course, gomen, Yuuki-sama. I did not mean to intrude." he apologised.

"Anyway, back to losing." Yuuki laughed.

Suddenly, Seiren popped up out of nowhere, causing Yuuki to scream very loudly.

"Gomen-nasai, Yuuki-sama, I did not mean to frighten you." Seiren uttered, "Kaname-sama is looking for you."

"I know." Yuuki spoke coldly. "Please do not tell him where I am. I do not wish to speak with him/"

"Oh… of course, Yuuki-sama". Seiren stammered, looking confused as she left the room

"Seriously, is that child trained as a ninja?" Yuuki asked sarcastically. "It's like she pops up out of holes in the ground. She just drops from the sky, wherever you are."

Ichijou giggled. "Tell me about it, you have to be very careful. I heard she appeared when Aidou stepped out of the shower. He couldn't look at her for weeks…Yuuki-sama what are you doing?"

"I'm looking to see where she comes from." Yuuki replied, as if it was the most simple thing in the world.

Ichijou collapsed in a fit of laughter. Yuuki was now standing barefoot on an armchair, examining the ceiling, as if checking to see if there was a hole there for Seiren to have fallen through.

"What are you laughing at?" Yuuki pouted .

"No… Nothing… Yuuki-sama. It's just the look on your face was so funny." he choked, as he held onto the snooker table for support.

"Don't laugh at me." Yuuki cried "Come on show me how to hit these god dam snooker balls before I take a fit on them"

Yuuki walked over to the table and leaned to take a shot.

"You see, that's where you're going wrong. You're holding the cue wrong." Ichijou pointed out. "Here, let me help you." he walked over to Yuuki and stood behind her. Guiding her hands into their correct positions on the cue, he then allowed her to lean in to take the shot, and also to drag him with her. If anyone had walked in at that moment it would have looked rather wrong. Yuuki was bent over the snooker table with Ichijou on top of her. Anyone could have gotten the wrong idea.

Unfortunately for them someone did walk in.

Kaname Kuran.

Looking up at the door, the smile on Ichijou's face vanished and was replaced by pure terror.

"Kaname-sama. Gomen-nasai. Erm… it's not what you think?" he stammered. Kaname's eyes were now red with jealousy, and Ichijou flinched as a light near him smashed. "It's not what it looks like… she took advantage of me." He said, pointing accusatorily at Yuuki. He backed nervously away from Kaname.

Yuuki's mouth dropped open in a way that could only be described as a new found ability to catch flies. But she then suppressed a giggle.

"Leave us." Kaname ordered.

"Of course." Ichijou replied, but Yuuki stopped him from moving with a single glance.

"Ichijou-san… Don't. Move. I'm sure that Kaname can say what he wishes to the both of us." Yuuki ordered politely, but directed her sneering attitude towards Kaname.

"No, really Yuuki-sama, I should go." he almost pleaded.

Yuuki shot him a disappointed look.

"Fine." she sighed.

Ichijou left, leaving Yuuki and Kaname alone. Yuuki placed her cue down on the green felt of the snooker table, and moved to collect her shoes. Sitting silently on the armchair, she refused to acknowledge Kaname's presence. Once she had finished, she stood up and crossed her arms and shot Kaname an expectant look, as if she was waiting for him to start.

The fire in Kaname's eyes had started to fade, and the anger and jealousy he had felt merely seconds ago, abated under her furious gaze.

"Don't look at me like that Yuuki." Kaname begged.

"Like what, Kaname?" she asked scornfully. "I told you to leave me alone. A request you have chosen to ignore as you rudely sent away a friend when I was having a good time. You expect me not to want to escape you?"

"Yuuki…" Kaname started.

"No. Save it. I don't want to know." Yuuki interrupted.

"Yuuki, we need to talk!" he half-shouted at her.

"No, we don't." Yuuki screamed, "I don't want to talk to you. Like I have said before, Kaname Kuran, leave me alone and go back to your fiancée."

"Yuuki, listen to me!" Kaname shouted back.

Yuuki was so shocked by Kaname's shouting that she instantly fell silent, but still opened and closed her mouth, resembling a goldfish.

"Finally." Kaname said, lowering his voice. "Why are you acting like this?"

She gaped at him and frowned. "Y-you, you're engaged…" she whispered, "…and it kills me."

Darting from the room at a lightening pace, she ran as fast as she could away from Kaname. The sound of classical music soon reached her ears once more, and she stopped just before the entrance, so that she could compose herself and stop panting. Finally, Yuuki breathed out and walked unsteadily into the room.

Walking down the stairs, she searched the room for familiar faces and found Aidou and Sara standing near the refreshment stall. Aidou was on what looked like his 14th glass of blood tablet solution, looking drunk on blood. Sara looked as normal as ever; evil, conniving, vindictive and bored. Strolling over, Yuuki smiled at Aido, who grinned devilishly as they both remembered their dance from before.

"Yuuki-sama! Kaname-sama was looking for you before." Aidou informed her, as Sara shot her an evil look.

"Yes, I know, I have just left him." Yuuki replied.

Sara looked at her, trying to figure out if there was any hidden message, insinuating that something could have happened between them. Sara reached to the table and handed Yuuki a glass of blood tablet solution which she took a large drink from.

"Arigatou." she smiled, before taking another drink, leaving the glass almost empty.

"Don't look so worried, Sara-san. Nothing happened, if anything; we had an argument. Kaname and I don't exactly see eye to eye when it comes to the council of ancients." Yuuki tried to smile reassuringly, but she could tell that Sara thought differently.

"Excuse me ladies, Akatsuki needs me." Aidou bowed, and excused himself from their company, leaving Yuuki and Sara in an uncomfortable silence.

"Sara-san, you don't believe me do you?" Yuuki asked.

"No." Sara answered shortly.

"Can I ask why?" Yuuki wondered aloud.

"Because, earlier this evening, Kaname-san requested a meeting between the council of ancients, to ask if he could call off our engagement." Sara hissed.

"You think I have something to do with that?" Yuuki asked, sounding bewildered.

_Did Kaname do such a thing? _She thought.

"Of course I do!" Sara hissed, her eyes burning red. "He asked, because he thinks he's found a more suitable replacement… aka, you!"

Yuuki gaped at Sara open mouthed. She suddenly started to become dizzy.

_No way! Kaname would not do that. But what if he did? Wow, these ideas are making my head spin. No, wait… this is not because of Kaname. What's happening to me?_

Yuuki stumbled slightly, but managed to keep herself upright. Sara was smirking at Yuuki evilly.

"What did you do to me?" Yuuki slurred.

Sara walked towards Yuuki and stopped right next to her ear.

"If I can't have him…" she whispered menacingly. "…then you certainly can't."

"Sara!" Yuuki shouted.

Sara walked away into the crowd. Yuuki attempted to follow her, but the minute she lifted a foot off of the ground, she fell. As Yuuki hit the floor she heard gasps from the people around her. Then everyone started to surround her. Her hand ached and her breathing became difficult. As things started to go black, Yuuki heard a worried Ichijou scream her name, and saw his face and Aidou's appear before her. She smiled weakly, before her head fell to the floor with a thud, and her mind went black.

Through all the commotion nobody stopped Sara walking away from Yuuki. And no-one noticed her slip a small, unmarked bottle of blue liquid up her sleeve.

* * *

**Wow! Longest chapter yet!!**

**Hope you like. And as always read and review.**

**Toya xxx**


	7. Chapter 7

**Authors notes: Right new chapter woooo! but i want to apologise i don't think much of this chapter it's a bit boring ...don't kill me please....i need it though for the next chapter to make sense...it will get better i promise.**

**ANNOUNCEMENT: Toya X Zero is now officially the owner of Vampire Knight and all it's characters including every male member of the night class muhahahahaha this is going to be interesting...all you wannabes bow down at my feet..................oh wait shit i'm await now! That's shit i was delusional...**

***sigh* i suppose i'll have to tell you all that Vampire Knight doesn't belong to me ...i wish it did but unfortunately.....stop it before i cry lol**

**Let the sins begin again.....**

* * *

Chapter 7: Problems

"Yuuki, come with me please." A tall woman with long, waist length, dark brown hair offered a hand to a small child sitting on the sofa in a basement like room.

"Why?" the young girl questioned. Although she was without a doubt, years younger than the woman towering above her they looked exactly the same from their hair to their eyes. Identical.

The small girl named Yuuki looked up curiously and asked: 'Where is otou-sama?"

The older woman sighed and said to the child: "It does not matter. Onii-sama must go and help him."

_Onii-sama? _Looking at the scene before her, Yuuki thought in a confused voice._ What is going on here? Where am I? That girl is me? Then that must be my mother? Onii-sama?_

"Onii-sama?" the young Yuuki frowned, "Why? Why must onii-sama leave?"

"Yuuki…" a voice echoed around the room, sounding as if it were echoing round a vast empty space which made it hard to understand. The older Yuuki searched for the source and saw it came from a teenage boy sitting near her younger self, but somehow she could not see him clearly. It was as if she was staring at something through clouded glass. His physical features could not be seen, but his voice seemed vaguely familiar, however Yuuki could not tell who it was.

"Go with mother."

The small Yuuki flipped violently in her seat to face the boy, but almost fell. The young boy caught her and returned her to her previous position "Onii-sama? Why? Why must you go?"

The boy seemed to be looking at Yuuki's mother as he asked: "Is he here? Has that time really come?"

"Hai." Juuri replied regretfully. "Haruka is out there now."

"Then I must go." The boy stood and started for the door, but was brought to a halt when Yuuki ran over to him and grabbed him around the waist, refusing to let go.

"No! Onii-sama you can't go! You can't leave me." Yuuki cried.

"Yuuki…" the boy turned, and crouched to look Yuuki in the eyes. "I'll never leave you. I'll always be here for you. Always." Yuuki then flung her arms round the boys' neck, and hugged him.

"Hurry back, onii-sama." Yuuki whispered.

Yuuki was then pulled from the boys' protective grip by her mother, who started to lead Yuuki into another room. Looking back at her onii-sama, Yuuki noticed him looking sad.

"Onii-sama? What's wrong?" Yuuki enquired, and when he did not answer the clear look of worry crept onto her face.

"Onii-sama!" Yuuki shouted, as she struggled against her mothers grip. "Onii-sama! Onii-sama!" she repeated, shouting at the boy who did not answer.

"ONII-SAMA!" Yuuki shouted, whilst tears flowed down her face. Why was her onii-sama ignoring her?

The boy turned his back on Yuuki and the young girl continued to shout towards him. When the door began to close on his form and he began to fade from her sight, Yuuki felt as though she was being dragged backwards through a dark tunnel, with her onii-sama the light at the end. Reaching out a hand for him, Yuuki shouted one last time.

"Onii-sama!"

Yuuki's eyes flew open and she sat up quickly.

"Onii-sama!" she shouted without realising.

_What in gods' name was that about?_

Panting a little and sweating lightly, Yuuki stared at her surroundings.

_Where am I at now? _She thought.

Yuuki was lying in a king-size four poster bed, in a room she did not know. The sheets covering her were made of white cotton and so were the pillows she had been resting on. The curtains that were held back were light blue and, looking around, Yuuki could see that the room had a very calming affect on her. The walls were painted pale blue and white in alternate stripes on one wall, while the others were just blocks of each colour. The carpet was white and clean. Hanging from the mirrored wardrobe opposite the bed on the left, was Yuuki's dress from Shiki's party.

_What the hell is that doing over there? What the hell happened to me?_

Looking down and fearing the worst, Yuuki was extremely relieved to find that she _wasn't _naked. She was wearing black pyjama shorts and a blue jersey, which was rather huge on her petite frame. Yuuki sighed, and continued to wonder where she was, and more importantly… how she got there.

Concentrating hard, with her eyes shut tightly, Yuuki tried to recall the last thing she remembered before waking up. Closing her eyes she tried to bring to mind images of the party.

"_If I can't have him, then you certainly can't."_

Yuuki's eyes flew open and a look of blessed realisation crossed her face only to be instantly replaced by a look of pure hatred.

_Sara! That two faced, evil, conniving, vindictive tramp tried to kill me!_

Yuuki saw that in the mirror opposite her eyes glowed blood red. The fire in her eyes was resembled the loathing coursing through her veins. A small evil smirk spread across Yuuki's face, and she kicked the covers off her body, and climbed off of the bed. The carpet was soft under her feet, and Yuuki paused for a moment, thinking about her dream. Why did she dream she had a brother?

"Onii-sama." Yuuki whispered.

At this moment Yuuki shook her head, clearing her thoughts, and turning them to Sara and how much pain she was going to inflict. Yuuki turned left with every intention of finding the pureblood, Sara Shirabuki, and murdering her. As she had tried to do to Yuuki.

_This time it's personal. _Yuuki thought to herself.

However, something stopped her from beginning her hunt. Something she did not expect. Something that made her heart stop for a moment and then start again beating at an incredible pace. Something that took her breath away. Something that increased her anger at the same time.

On a small, white lounger opposite the bed, with his arm over his eyes and his legs hanging off of the end, laid Kaname Kuran. His breathing was deep and Yuuki was thankful that he had not woken up. Trying her hardest to be completely silent, she slowly tip-toed towards the door.

"I did not know you had a brother Yuuki." Kaname stated, causing Yuuki to jump ten feet into the air and whip around faster than the speed of light.

"Kaname! You scared me. I thought you were asleep." Yuuki stammered, and she cursed internally over the blush creeping onto her cheeks.

"No, Yuuki." he whispered.

"What are you doing here?" Yuuki asked.

"You were poisoned Yuuki. I wanted to make sure you were ok. You have been unconscious for nearly three days now." Kaname explained.

Yuuki's jaw dropped. "Three days! Seriously?"

"Seriously." Kaname nodded sternly. "At one point, it looked as if you weren't going to make it."

Kaname was now sitting up on the lounger, with his elbows resting on his knee caps, and his head hanging low. Yuuki's anger instantly abated. Something about his tone of voice made her concerned.

Sighing but smiling, she walked over and plonked (A/N: hehe plonked what an awesome word!!) her self next to Kaname. He continued to lean on his knees, but inclined his head slightly in Yuuki's direction before he turned back and resumed his fascination with the carpet.

Yuuki laughed softly, and nudged him gently with her shoulder.

"Kaname. What's wrong?" she asked tenderly.

"Yuuki…I…Sara…Gomen" he spluttered. Words could not convey his sorrow, his pain, his hatred.

"It's not like you _told_ her to do it." Yuuki comforted

"I made her though." Kaname whispered.

"Wh…What do you mean?" Yuuki enquired with a frown. She turned to look at the pureblood next to her, but he did not look up from the floor.

"She poisoned the drink she gave you because I asked the council to break off the engagement." Kaname replied; he seemed ashamed of himself… hating his very existence, because she got hurt.

"Kaname..." Yuuki whispered, and she lowered her head onto his shoulder, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. "Don't blame yourself, you had nothing to do with it; she's just a selfish, deranged psycho maniac."

Kaname chuckled, and Yuuki could feel his muscles relax under her cheeks; she smiled.

"Kaname?" Yuuki asked, still with her eyes closed. She figured that not looking at him would save her the embarrassment of blushing.

"Hmm." he mumbled.

"Gomen-nasai, you know for the party; I was a real bitch with you." she muttered.

"Yuuki, listen don't worry about it, you did nothing wrong. I am the one that should be sorry for more than one reason." Yuuki opened her eyes, and sat up looking at him curiously. He looked up from the carpet and turned to look into her eyes. "One, I got you poisoned." he half-smiled, and Yuuki chuckled. "And two, you were right, I've been so two-faced, you had every right to be annoyed with me. I'm actually surprised you're talking to me now and not ripping my arm off or something."

Yuuki grinned and replied "As much as I might have wanted to that night, I don't think I would have been able to. You're way more powerful than me."

Kaname looked at her from the corner of his eyes, and Yuuki saw a twinkle in his eyes that she had not seen before. The sight made Yuuki smile even more.

"Anyway, I can never seem to be able to stay mad at you for long, Kaname." Yuuki whispered. The words were barely audible and no one but a vampire could have picked them up.

Kaname's mouth curved into a smile. "Yuuki…" he whispered back.

Yuuki rose from the lounger and walked away from Kaname. He did not let his eyes stray from her body, watching her every move. Smiling still, he sensed her heartbeat quicken as the blood rushed to her cheeks, and he knew that she was blushing once again.

_Is it me? Or do I spend a lot of my time blushing? _Yuuki thought to herself, as she attempted to hide her now red face from Kaname. (A/N: sorry had to voice my own opinion there…I'm not lying, she does…am I the only one who finds it slightly annoying?)

The intensity of Kaname's gaze made Yuuki turn and face him and she was surprised by how tender his eyes were. For a second Sara's words resonated around her mind like a far away echo.

"_He asked because he thinks he's found a more suitable replacement, aka you!"_

Yuuki shook her head to clear the thoughts from her mind.

_Kaname would never… he doesn't…he can't. Can he?_

Kaname stood up and walked towards her. Yuuki looked up into his dark eyes and their eyes locked. Yuuki heard _and_ felt her heartbeat increase tenfold; in her mind she ordered her feet to move and step away from his toned physique, but somewhere along its travel, it got lost and Yuuki found she was rooted to the spot.

Unable to move, unable to think and barely able to breathe, Yuuki stared into Kaname's gorgeous brown eyes; lost in their loneliness, their kindness, their lust.

_Hold on a minute… LUST?? _Yuuki blinked up at the astoundingly beautiful creature in front of her, and realised that the dark brown had slowly, but surely, been fading to a pale red in the time they had stood near one another.

Yuuki blushed again, and this time managed to take a step back. Kaname, however, moved forwards and closed the gap. Yuuki looked up warily before she took a step to the left; Kaname followed.

_So he wants to play it that way?! _She thought to herself childishly, and this time stepped to the right, only to have her movements imitated by the man facing her. Taking another step back, Yuuki never dropped Kaname's gaze.

Before Kaname could come closer to her, however, she darted to the right and ran to the opposite side of the room, giggling excitedly.

Kaname stopped with his back to her and allowed a soft chuckle to escape his lips.

Yuuki tilted her head to one side, and waited for him to react.

"Yuuki, don't think you can get away with that…" he laughed.

"Come on Kaname, I bet you've never taken the time to have a good time in your life." Yuuki stated.

"You wanna bet?" he asked cheekily, turning to face her.

Yuuki's smile faltered, when she saw the look in his eyes. Competitive, childish… fun.

"Bring it, on big guy!" Yuuki grinned.

Kaname did not hesitate as he started towards her, but she moved out of his way. He followed her every move. She moved quickly towards the doors, but while her back was turned, Kaname used his vampiric super speed to catch up to her and grab hold of her waist before hoisting her up into the air. Giggling like a five year old, Yuuki twisted in Kaname's grip, in an attempt to get free but he was much too strong for her.

"Hey no fair!" Yuuki pouted. "No powers!"

"You didn't say that; never once did you say that I had to play fair." Kaname answered.

Yuuki stopped struggling for a moment, and Kaname seized the opportunity. He lowered her to the ground and began to tickle her waist.

Yuuki started to laugh uncontrollably. "No. Kaname, no stop it, please… CHEAT! CHEAT!" she sniggered.

Kaname laughed with her as she writhed and twisted, trying to get away, but he did not stop tickling her. Somehow she managed to turn to face him, but she still could not stop laughing.

"STOP FREAKING TICKLING ME!" she shouted, still unable to stop.

"No." Kaname said simply, "Not until you admit I win."

"You'll never win." Yuuki replied cheekily.

"Fine." Kaname smirked, and he continued to tickle her.

They did not know how long they were there. Yuuki laughed like she had never laughed before and Kaname found himself genuinely smiling for the first time in years.

Yuuki attempted to move away from Kaname's tickling hands, but caught her foot on something lying on the floor. She started to fall to the ground and gasped loudly. As if in slow motion, Kaname watched her drop and without thinking, he wrapped his strong arms around her waist, but it was too late. By the time Kaname had hold of her she was already well on schedule for her meeting with the floor, one that she did not seem likely to miss. As a result, Kaname also started to fall to the floor with Yuuki.

Later on, Kaname would reason that he had used his ultra sensitive vampiric senses to realise what would happen. The truth is, he caught his foot on the edge of the rug in the middle of the room, which made his foot twist and to prevent pain and minor damage he had turned his body slightly. However the slight change in position, made Kaname hit the floor first with a loud thud, and for Yuuki to fall lightly onto of his muscular frame.

The two of them now lay silently on the white surface of the bedroom floor. Kaname was on his back with his armed wrapped tightly around Yuuki's waist, and Yuuki rested on her stomach her legs parallel to Kaname's, but they stopped a foot before his did. Her head was supported by his shoulder, and her hands had grabbed hold of the material of his shirt during the fall, and was now still clinging strongly to the dark blue silk covering his chest.

Yuuki slowly raised her head to look at Kaname. He did not loosen his grip on her..

"Kaname." Yuuki whispered. "There's nowhere else for us to fall."

She giggled at his confused expression, but he figured out what she meant and somewhat reluctantly dropped his arms from around her. Yuuki rolled off of him, and trapped his arm underneath her. Kaname sighed.

Yuuki tilted her head upwards and looked into Kaname's eyes. He looked back. The dark chocolate colour of his eyes glistened back into her slightly darker ones. He winked cheekily at her, and she grinned before breaking into a fit of hysterical laughter. Kaname joined, but not quite as enthusiastically.

Writhing around on the floor with Kaname's arm still trapped underneath her was not exactly the most unpleasant experience, but nevertheless, slightly uncomfortable. Kaname grimaced and waited for Yuuki to calm down.

It took the majority of twenty minutes for Yuuki to pause for breath and to finally end her non-stop giggling and calm down, until she finally stopped wriggling.

"Gomen, Kaname. It's just… just the look on your face." Yuuki managed to stammer, before once again collapsing into hysterics. Clutching her sides, and bringing her knees up to her chest, tears ran down her cheeks from laughing so hard.

However, after a while it started to hurt. Yuuki coughed and spluttered herself into silence before wincing in pain.

"Yuuki!" Kaname whispered sternly. "Stop it now, or you'll end up hurting yourself even more."

Yuuki smiled, but still let the pain show on her delicate features. Kaname frowned and turned onto his side to get a better look at her. He sighed.

"Where does it hurt?" Kaname asked, but did not need an answer as her right hand was leaning on her left side and she flinched when Kaname rested his hand on top of hers. His pressure was minimal but she still cried out in pain. "I'm going to guess there…" Kaname answered.

Yuuki chuckled, but winced at the same time. "Yeah it's just started though; it was fine a minute ago."

"That'll be the effect of the poison. It is specially made to kill purebloods. Slow acting poison gets worse throughout the first two or three days before calming down a little. It's still really painful… you're…" Kaname's words faded to silence, and Yuuki looked at him.

"I'm…what? Exactly?" Yuuki asked.

"You're the first person to live through the first few days." Kaname bowed his head in disgrace.

"Kaname, its fine. Its Sara you should be worried about, not me. Believe me when I get out of here, she'll have hell to pay." Yuuki murmured.

Kaname smiled and looked up at her beautiful face.

_She's more like Sara than she thinks… the only difference is Yuuki is so much more… sophisticated than Sara… wiser, smarter, kinder and way more beautiful …_Kaname's inner thoughts had distracted him, but he never took his eyes off of her pale skin.

"Kaname, you're staring." Yuuki uttered.

"Gomen." he replied. "Still hurting?"

"Yeah, a little." Yuuki shrugged.

Kaname lifted his hand away from Yuuki's and continued to move hers away from her side. He raised it slowly and she did not resist but rather fixed him with a curious look. He grasped hold of her hand and pressed it to his lips. Yuuki blushed a deep shade of scarlet and shied away from his intense gaze.

_For heaven sake, I feel like I'm having a heart attack and he's only kissed me on the freaking hand! It's not like he's kissed me on the lips...but that could be an idea..... NO shush, woman, shush!!!_

Kaname let Yuuki's hand drop but made sure it stayed away from her side. Slowly and constantly making sure he was not offending her, his hand trailed along the fabric of her top and he reached the hem of the jersey. Yuuki looked at him confused but did nothing to stop him from continuing. Little by little Kaname pulled the jersey up to show some of the creamy skin of Yuuki's stomach.

Yuuki twitched a little but did not say anything, Kaname looked up to make sure she was ok. She smiled and he continued. Looking back at her skin, he was reminded of the last time they had been in this situation. Her abdominal muscles were toned, but not defined although you could trace their shape through her skin but they did not stand out horribly. The skin was perfect, smooth, pale; delicious.

Kaname shifted a little so that he could raise the shirt a little more but he stopped before her bra showed. Now Yuuki was really confused.

_What the fuck is he doing? It can't be what I thought or he wouldn't have stopped pulling. I'm a little glad; the floor of some random person's bedroom probably isn't the best place for this to happen_. _He can't stop though; he can't do that to me…_

But the excitement made Yuuki adventurous, she found the idea quite appealing and found herself beginning to wish he would continue. Kaname's face was now level with Yuuki's abdomen, and he could see the faint bruise: the only sign of Sara's attack.

"Does it hurt about here?" Kaname whispered, as he traced the outline of the bruise with his finger.

"Yeah." Yuuki whispered back.

Kaname continued stroking her skin and her muscled contracted causing goose bumps to appear all over her upper body. Kaname smiled a little.

Yuuki closed her eyes, and pursed her lips in pleasure.

Kaname lowered his head closer to her skin and she could feel his warm breath making contact with her body. Yuuki grinned slightly and began chewing on her bottom lip. Kaname moved his arms until one was on the right hand side of her torso opposite the bruise and the other found its way to her hand resting near her shoulder. He entwined his fingers with hers, squeezed gently and she squeezed back.

Kaname lowered his head completely and his lips touched her waiting skin. The effect this had on Yuuki was unbelievable in more than one way. Firstly, a wave of pleasure ran down her spine and she unconsciously shivered because of it. Secondly, from the point of contact outwards her body began to feel a lot better. The pain had gone and Yuuki found that she felt more energized.

Yuuki grinned as Kaname brought his head back to eye level.

"Arigatou, Kaname. What did you do?"

"I can heal." he replied nonchalantly.

"I feel great now. Arigatou." Yuuki informed him.

Glad to know that she was feeling alright again, Kaname smiled. "Don't mention it."

Kaname heaved himself off Yuuki and propped himself on his hands. But, rather than get off her and get up, he sneakily crawled up her until he could look directly down into her eyes. Yuuki blushed again. Kaname sighed.

"What's wrong now?" Yuuki asked jokingly.

"Nothing. What were you dreaming about?" Kaname asked curiously.

"What? Oh right that? Erm… the night my parents died I think." Yuuki muttered quietly.

"You think?"

"Yeah... everything was sort of blurred… well not my mother but… someone else." Yuuki explained, confusing herself more than Kaname.

"Someone else?" Kaname continued to ask questions, but at the same time he reached up a hand, balancing precariously on one, and tucked a stray strand of Yuuki's hair behind her eye before allowing it to rest her cheek. He gently stroked her cheekbone, causing her to blush again (A/N: seriously does she ever stop when Kaname's around??? I'll be quiet now). She could not help but close her eyes contentedly and nuzzle into his warm hand. Kaname smiled down at her fondly.

"Was it about your onii-sama?" Kaname enquired.

Yuuki's eyes flickered open and she frowned. "I don't have an onii-sama."

"Really? Why, then were you dreaming you had one?" Kaname asked.

Yuuki began to feel vulnerable, like she was under interrogation. "Why? Is this an interview? Did the council put you up to this?" Yuuki questioned.

"No." he said flatly. "You've been out for three days. At first it was incoherent words, then Zero and the chairman, then for about five hours before you awoke it's been onii-sama… over and over again."

Yuuki frowned in confusion then shrugged "Probably just a dream."

"Yeah, maybe." Kaname whispered in reply.

Now they were closer than they had been in ages. Yuuki realised that their hips were in contact and Yuuki blushed crimson and suppressed a giggle.

"What?" Kaname grinned.

"Nothing, nothing." Yuuki repeated.

Kaname looked at her with mocking dead eyes and demanded: "Tell me or I'll tickle you again."

Yuuki shook her head violently "No. Not that. It's just that you've been on top of me for like half an hour."

Kaname cocked his head to the side, then looked down at their bodies pressing against one and other before bringing them back up to where there fingers were still entwined. "So we have." he grinned.

The gap between the two of them was minimal and both of them were using a lot of will power to stop themselves from kissing. Kaname lowered his head and Yuuki raised her fractionally as her heartbeat quickened and she prepared herself for this experience once more…

She needn't have worried.

Kaname sighed, a long, low, reluctant, frustrated sigh. He lowered his elbows and rolled off of Yuuki, who was left stunned, confused and to be honest… a little disappointed.

"What?" she asked, exasperatedly. "What's wrong?"

"We can't do this." Kaname answered.

"Why not now?" Yuuki snapped.

"You said it yourself, we can't do this." Kaname got to his feet, and offered his hand to Yuuki who just glared at him.

"That was then. Things change." Yuuki pointed out.

"Not as much as you think." Kaname uttered.

"What do you mean? What's stopping us?" Yuuki asked, not seeing anything wrong.

_She's going to kill me _He thought, breathing deeply and ….

"I'm engaged." Kaname blurted out.

Kaname could see instantly that his words would have a huge effect on the person still lying at his feet. The atmosphere in the room tensed and the very air felt cold. Yuuki raised herself onto her elbows and fixed Kaname with a piercing glare, trying to figure out if he was winding her up or not. She tilted her head to one side and looked up at him. Despite his discomfort, he never looked away. He preferred to let her know the truth from him than another. She rose to her feet and stared him straight into his eyes. In all this time she had not said a word and this frightened him more than words could say.

Her eyes slowly faded from brown to orange to crimson in about three minutes, never breaking his gaze. Kaname shifted uncomfortably under the intensity of her stares. Hidden in her eyes was a mixture of all sorts of emotions. Anger, hatred, sadness, confusion and clearest of all… hurt. She stepped closer to him once more and he did not move.

"What did you just say?" Yuuki hissed, emphasising every syllable making sure her point got across. She was angry. More than angry, she was livid. "Because I swear I just heard you say you're still engaged. Engaged, to the girl who tried, and almost succeeded, in killing me!"

Her upper lip curved into a sneer and she bared her fangs at him. "What's wrong? Is the famous Kaname Kuran lost for words?" her tone mocked him, and he flinched at her anger. He had never known her to be like this.

"FOR FUCK SAKE, KANAME! ANSWER ME!" she yelled at the top of her lungs, causing the glass in the mirrors to shatter all around her.

Kaname backed away from her.

"Yuuki… I'm… I'm sorry. I'm still engaged to Sara." he stammered.

Yuuki made a loud sound, something like 'nurgh', and he looked at her. If it was possible, it seemed as though her eyes had darkened again.

"But you still thought you'd come waltzing in here acting ... acting like god knows what around me. Messing with my head, and screwing with my emotions but no, it does not matter. No as long as Kuran's happy, it doesn't matter how many people he uses and throws away without a second thought, how many people he stands on to get what he wants. What was I, Kuran? A bit on the side? A plaything? Or something else? Maybe you needed someone to comfort you, when she dressed as a whore and practically shagged someone right in front of your eyes? Or was it that you just got bored and needed something to keep you going?" Yuuki ranted.

"It was never like that." Kaname whispered to his shoes, unable to look her in the eyes anymore.

"Oh really? Come on then Kuran, what was I then? Because I'm trying really hard to find some sort of explanation as to why you would do this to me, when you… what was it…care more about me than _anyone else_."

"Yuuki, please, stop calling me that." Kaname pleaded.

"What? Kuran?" Yuuki mocked. "Why? I see no reason why I shouldn't; we aren't close or friendly. Kuran seems like a reasonable thing to call you."

"Yuuki, please…" Kaname started, but Yuuki interrupted.

"You know, I'm getting sick of your "please' and your "I'm sorry', they get a little annoying after a while you know." Yuuki shouted. Now she was pissed off and all logical thought had left her head. Now, only sadness, loss and hurt remained. How could he have done this to her? Played her again?

"Yuuki, listen…" Kaname started.

"No I don't want to hear your bullshit anymore Kaname! I'm sick of it! I'm sick of you! You make me sick! Now for the third and final time! Leave me alone and go back to your fiancée." Yuuki screamed at him.

Yuuki turned her back on him and the door behind him and waited for him to leave.

"I'm not going until you listen to me." he said bluntly.

"Still wanting what you can't have, huh Kaname." Yuuki retorted menacingly. "You're going to leave now."

"No."

Yuuki's eyes flashed scarlet and she turned to face him. He stared wide-eyed at her expression. Who knew his Yuuki could be so scary?

Silently, water from inside a glass next to Yuuki's bed rose from its holder and formed a transparent column, which floated for a while, but began fluttering around the room from side to side. Suddenly it started towards Kaname, so quickly that humans would not have been able to see it move. Kaname merely raised a hand and as the water touched his skin it dispersed into particles. Kaname sighed and closed his eyes, shaking his head slightly.

"Do not use your powers against me, Yuuki. I do not want to hurt you." Kaname opened his eyes, and revealed that his anger was now hard for him to control. But it wasn't anger at Yuuki. He did not know why he was so angry.

Yuuki looked at him disbelievingly. "Believe me, Kuran; you can't hurt me anymore than you already have."

Kaname's eyes faded at her words. He had hurt Yuuki and he hated himself for it. Resisting the urge to hug her, due to the fact that he wasn't about to risk being blown to smithereens, he sighed and backed off.

"Yuuki, gomen-nasai. I'll leave." Kaname said dejectedly.

"Thank you." Yuuki retorted sarcastically

"She nearly killed me." Yuuki reminded Kaname, when his hand grasped the doorknob. "Remember that when you're with her. If I really mean that much to you, I hope it haunts you." her tone made him tense, and grasp the handle so tight it dented.

"Believe me it will." Kaname whispered, as he turned the handle and swung the door open.

Kaname stood there staring out of the door for quiet a while, and Yuuki began to get curious as to why. Stepping slightly to the left, she saw an amusing scene.

Kain and Ruka were leaning against the wall to the left of the door trying to look uninterested. However, the other people close to Kaname Kuran, Yori and Jamie were all piled on top of each other. It was evident from their guilty expressions that they had been eavesdropping on Yuuki and Kaname's argument for quiet some time. Ichijou was on the bottom, no doubt because of the easy access to the gap between the door and carpet. On top of him in ascending order were Yori, Jamie, Aidou, Shiki and balanced precariously at the top, was a very tousled looking Rima. All of them, including Ruka and Kain, looked up when Kaname opened the door.

Darting their eyes between the pale pink of Kaname's irises and the still crimson red of Yuuki's, they all tilted their heads upwards or downwards to see each others reactions. They all seemed to come to the same conclusion and, without a seconds hesitation, all scattered like rabbits in various different directions at high speeds, not wanting to be the one found nearest to Kaname when he left.

Only Jamie was left behind, not knowing which way to run, as he danced between starting left or right. Wincing at the look on Kaname's face, he whimpered and looked around searching for someone, _anyone,_ to rescue him. As if answering his prayers, a small dainty hand that belonged to Yori appeared from around the corner and grabbed Jamie by the scruff of his neck before yanking him in its direction. A very uncomfortable scream issued from his mouth as he was very nearly dragged off his feet into the air and whipped around the corner.

After a few seconds silence…..

"Gomen-nasai, Yuuki, for distressing you, I shall not do so again." Kaname announced dully.

Yuuki snorted softly. "I highly doubt that Kuran." she sneered.

He closed the door and leaned against the wood. From inside the room he heard Yuuki fall to the ground and succumb to tears. Her sobs seemed to wrench Kaname's heart from his chest, but he knew that now the damage was done and it appeared highly unlikely that it could ever be repaired. Tilting his head backwards, he sighed and closed his eyes. On the outside he was looking slightly distressed but on the inside… he was dying.

Opening his eyes, Kaname did not move. "You can come out, I am not going to kill you or anything." he spoke out loud.

"Thank Kami for that"" squealed the voice of Hanabusa Aidou, as he struggled to free himself from the closets clutches.

"I'll second that." Jamie shouted, as he tentatively emerged from behind the sofa.

"Us too." Kain announced on his and Ruka's behalf, as they walked casually through the adjacent kitchen door.

"Hmm..." was all that came from Rima and Shiki as they jumped from the balcony above.

"You should be careful, Kaname" Ichijou warned.

"What do you mean?" Kaname enquired. "And where were you hiding?"

"If I told you that, you'd find me next time." Ichijou smiled.

"Behind the curtain in the bathroom." Kain informed them, yawning.

"Hey! That's not fair. Cheater! I never tell on you" Ichijou complained.

"Never mind that. Ichijou, what do you mean? Be careful about what?" Kaname ordered.

"You may be stronger than her, but if you keep that up you'll be lucky to be alive next time." Ichijou explained.

Kaname sensed it before the others, but the nobles soon clicked on to what was going to happen. Only Yori and Jamie were left oblivious. Kaname moved to the left of the door just as a large round rock came crashing through the door exactly where Kaname's head had been. The nobles in the way merely moved to the side, all except Kain, who pulled an unsuspecting Yori out of the rocks flight path. No one thought to move Jamie, so he was left wide open to the full force of the rock. With a loud thud, it hit Jamie in the centre of the forehead, and knocked him off his feet, onto the floor again. Yori squeaked and ran to his side while the others turned their attention back to Kaname.

After a few seconds of contemplation, Kaname answered. "As valued as your opinions are Ichijou, on this occasion I would be grateful if you kept them to yourself."

"Hai, Kaname." Ichijou bowed.

"I'll see you all back at the academy at the end of the week" Kaname nodded at them all, and exited.

A few minutes silence passed before anyone moved; either transfixed on the door where Kaname had just exited or the door behind which a sobbing Yuuki sat crouched next to the bed.

Ichijou moved first, turning towards the bedroom door and examining the splintered wood. Shaking his head, he reached for the handle.

"Anyone want to bet on how long it takes them to kiss again?" Aidou asked everyone.

"Aidou, stop being so heartless." Ichijou ordered, as he turned the doorknob and entered the bedroom to talk to Yuuki.

"1000 yen if it's within the next week." Kain bet.

"5000, for the next two." Ruka smirked, outdoing her mate always got him annoyed but she enjoyed it.

"We'll put on 7500 within 2 and a half" Shiki said, bored for both him and Rima.

Aidou quickly wrote all the numbers down and names before turning to Jamie and Yori. "Guys?" he asked.

Jamie slowly allowed Yori to pull him to his feet and place him on the sofa. Already, a large lump the size of a bird's egg had began to show where the rock had hit him, and his eyes were out of focus. He shook his head slowly.

"10,000 on the next time they are together." Yori announced.

"Crikey. Ok then, we're sorted. Whoever is closer to the actual length of time wins." Aidou announced, before walking off in the direction of the kitchen. Ruka and Kain followed while Yori attended to Jamie who could barely string two words together. Shiki and Rima disappeared with a box of pocky and everything went quiet.

Ichijou stood in the centre of the white carpet looking at the small brunette curled up into a ball at the foot of the grand bed. Her knees were brought up to her chest and she rested her head on them, while gently rocking backwards and forwards.

"Yuuki-sama? Are you ok?" Ichijou asked, concern dripping off his words.

Yuuki did not answer, but continued to rock. He moved forwards and sat next to her, leaning against the bed and stretching his legs out in front of him. "Of course you're not. Stupid question." he chuckled, but stopped when he saw that she did not look up.

"Gomen-nasai, Yuuki-sama. I can see you're upset, I'll go now and leave you alone." he muttered, and was about to get up, when a small hand extended from its perch on her knee and grabbed his own.

Looking down at it he frowned. Yuuki's small hand clasped his with a lot of strength; it was obvious she did not want him to go.

"Yuuki-sama…" Ichijou started.

"Can we stop with the formalities Takuma? We're friends, aren't we? Call me Yuuki." she interrupted, her voice was muffled so he could not tell if she was still crying or not.

"Hai, Yuuki-sam….I mean, Yuuki." Ichijou smiled.

Yuuki chuckled from under her arms, but still did not move her head.

"Yuuki, look at me, you know you can tell me. What happened?" Ichijou soothed, before hesitantly reaching up and stroking her hair affectionately.

She looked up at him and his eyes opened wide in shock. Her eyes leaked streams of tears. But these were not tears of sadness, but of anger, the crimson shade of her eyes had not failed in the slightest and as the tears fell steadily down her eyes they were illuminated pink before dropping like crystals off of her delicate features.

"Kaname... he's been on his own for nearly ten years now he doesn't know how to act around those he cares about." Ichijou explained.

"How can you say that he cares for me Takuma?" Yuuki sniffled. "You sound just like him. He's engaged, has been for a while and he damn well knew it, but he still chose to kiss me in the elevator, outside Aidou's party near his car, and in my apartment. He's been playing me and he knows it. I was his 'bit on the side'. He was bored, that's all. I was just here for him to amuse himself with." she shook her head dejectedly, as if she herself had given up believing.

Raising his eyebrows, Takuma asked: "Do you really believe that Yuuki?"

"I never used to. There was some part of me that saw something in his eyes. Like he cared. Then he'd be around Sara and he wouldn't look twice at me. He got me so angry, but he'd come and apologise and I'd forgive him just like that, as if nothing had happened. He doesn't really care. Today he proved it, his fiancée nearly killed me but he stays with her. He's more interested in her and pleasing the council than anything else and I'm at the bottom of his list."

Throughout her speech Yuuki had cried silently, her eyes fading with each passing word as the angry part of her mind slowly convinced the forgiving side, that her words were true.

"You shouldn't think things like that." Takuma whispered to her.

She unfurled her legs and stretched them in front of her. Her hands dropped into her lap and she bowed her head sighing.

"I don't think I have a choice anymore. What's done is done. He's with Sara now and she'll never let him go." she whimpered slightly, and started to let the tears fall again.

"Aw Yuuki, come here, don't cry." Takuma soothed, and he wrapped his hands around her shoulders and pulled her small, vulnerable frame towards his torso.

Silently she cried into his shirt. They sat in silence and did not move for an hour. Once she had finally cried all she could she closed her eyes coughing and spluttering every minute or so.

"Feeling better?" he asked politely.

"Yeah, like my hearts been ripped out, stamped on and given back." she replied sarcastically.

"That's something then." he joked, making her laugh.

He kissed the top of her head and let her sit up.

"Arigatou, Takuma, you've been so great to me." Yuuki sighed.

"It's my pleasure Yuuki. And now, if I may be of some help once more, you are welcome to my town house." he announced. "Well I say my town house, but really we all live here. Except Kaname." he added hastily, due to the look in her eyes.

"Myself, Shiki-san, Aidou-san, Kain-san as well as Ruka-chan and Rima-chan. When school's out we either leave for our family mansions, or if we can't be bothered with that, we all come here."

Yuuki giggled, looked around and saw from the sky outside that it was dusk; the stars were beginning to appear but the sun still tinted the sky pink. She and Takuma sat in silence, for what seemed like an age, just looking about the room, him with her arm around her waist and her resting her head lightly on his shoulder.

"Gomen-nasai, Yuuki I must leave you now. I have to go and visit my grandfather before we return to Cross academy at the end of the week." Takuma announced, before retrieving his arm from around Yuuki. Yuuki pulled away and smiled at him.

"Yeah sure, no problem." she said bravely "Go. I'll be fine."

"Yuuki, stay with us as long as you need to. We have plenty of room and Yori-chan and Jamie-kun are here as well. It would be an honour." he informed her.

"Of course, I'd be glad to." the smile on her face was only half meaningful; she felt as though her heart was chipping away. Her mind was blank of all emotions except hurt.

As he got up and walked out the door, Yuuki returned to her crouched position from earlier and wondered…

_Will I ever stop crying?_

**Seriously i'm sorry this was really lame ...if you have any suggestions on what you want to happen then give me a bell.....**

**Review and the angel of fanfic aka moi shall come and either scare you silly for turning up at your door or give you free love sup to you... Love to everyone who reviews and major loves and cuddles to VampireMaddy my most awesome beta reade without which i would be writing a very boring and mispelled story. Wuv yoo!!! (non-sexually)**

**See you wierdos (no offense)**

**Toya xxxx**

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	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8: Promise**

**Sorry for teh slow update guys. My laptop (stupid peice of machinery) crashed for a while but now it works again but no one can mention aything becasue if it hears you it'll crash again it's kinda shy. **

**Anyhoo new chapter ...here you go...read and review. Please i'm near 100 if i get there i would love it more than anything wouldn't die because i have stories to write lmao. Fingers crossed.**

**Hope you enjoy peeps! Aidios muchachos!!!!**

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"I'll see you all back at the academy at the end of the week." he spoke over his shoulder to the gathered nobles scattered around the large, spacious living area of Takuma Ichijou's Tokyo town house.

They all murmured incoherent noises but no one said anything until he had left their presence.

Kaname Kuran stood standing in the bitter wind of the darkening night on the doorstep of the towering building and sighed. The sound was sad and frustrated but also filled with anger and self-loathing.

_How could I have done that to her? Gosh! I am such an imbecile, why? Why? Why do I have to be such a moron that I can hurt the only one I truly care about? What have I done? I doubt she'll ever talk to me again._

He groaned as the thought passed through his mind. The thought of losing Yuuki once again was unbearable and he had half a mind to turn around, walk back inside and make her understand but he knew that it was no good. As long as he was engaged to Sara, Yuuki would never talk to him, but if she refused to talk to him there would be no chance he could break of his engagement with the vengeful pureblood. He was stuck in a vicious circle and could see no way out of it.

Kaname stood standing in the doorway, still as a statue, receiving a few very odd looks from the passers by but he barely noticed. He remained frozen, breathing quietly; listening.

"Anyone want to bet on how long it takes them to kiss again?" he heard Aidou ask everyone. Kaname breathed out, slightly annoyed at the young noble.

"Aidou, stop being so heartless." Ichijou ordered. Kaname managed to pull his lips into a slight grimace. In his world it was nice to know that Takuma Ichijou would not let him down both as a friend and also as their leader when he himself could not be present.

Hissing slightly at the noise the nobles were making, Kaname concentrated all his efforts on listening past their loud voices as they all rushed to make bets on his and Yuuki's apparently ongoing romance. His ears strained a little but once his senses could pick up Ichijou's whereabouts it was not hard to block out the others voices. Kaname winced as Yuuki voice, full of hurt and anger rang loudly in his ears, despite the distance, and pierced his very soul.

"How can you say that he cares for me, Takuma?" Yuuki sniffled, and the noise made Kaname feel like his heart was splitting in two.

"You sound just like him." She practically sneered "He's engaged, has been for a while and he damn well knew it but he still chose to kiss me in the elevator, outside Aidou's party near his car, and in my apartment. He's been playing me and he knows it. I was his bit on the side. He was bored that's all. I was just here for him to amuse himself with…" Yuuki continued, and from her tone of voice Kaname could tell that all hope of reconciliation between them both had faded with that sentence… she hated him for all the pain he was putting her through.

Kaname bowed his head in despair and brought his concentration back to his surroundings, unable to listen to her pained voice any longer knowing that it was because of him and his reluctance to anger the council, she now sat, sobbing on the bedroom floor being comforted by his best friend. Kaname shook his head, clearing his mind, and stepped forward.

It took more will power than he had ever needed before to restrain himself from re-entering the house to see Yuuki once more and to make her understand the gravity of the situation. To realise that it was not his fault that he was with Sara and not her. Walking down the steps in front of the house, Kaname's mind wandered back to the evening of Mai Shiki's party.

_**- Flashback - **_

Kaname walked boldly towards a rather large group of old men who made up the council of ancients.

"Kaname-sama!" one of the oldest men exclaimed. "What a pleasure to see you here!" he grinned broadly at Kaname, and as a sign of familiarity rather than respect, Kaname smiled back but only exerted one tenth of the enthusiasm the elder had applied.

"Likewise Tariku-san, I was wondering, are the council here?" Kaname questioned, feeling no need to beat around the bush and get straight to the point at hand.

The council members smile faltered a little and he eyed Kaname, his eyes holding a mixture of curiosity and suspicion. "The majority, yes, but some of the less important members opted to stay at headquarters to oversee things. Why do you ask, Kaname-sama?"

At that moment Akatsuki Kain and his exuberant cousin Hanabusa Aidou waltzed into Kaname's line of sight.

"Akatsuki, Aidou?" Kaname called, but not loudly as their vampiric audio skills could have picked up his request for their presence from across the crowded room.

"Hai, Kaname-sama." Aidou announced enthusiastically.

"Could you round up the rest of the council members and direct them to the conference room, if you don't mind." Kaname asked politely, but everyone in the vicinity could tell that this was a direct order.

"Of course, Kaname-sama." Akatsuki voiced, before his cousin could interject. They both bowed and walked away from the group.

"Kaname-sama? Do you mind telling us what is so important that you wish to pull us from our celebrations?" a different council member enquired politely, but in a voice that hinted at bitterness. Obviously this was one of the nobles who disliked the authority purebloods governed over the rest of the vampire race.

"I have a request I wish to inform you of." Kaname replied bluntly.

"Oh." was all the council members could voice.

After so many years of catering to Kaname's every whim the council had grew wary of moments such as this one. If Kuran Kaname was asking the council something that required the presence of the vast majority of the council of Ancients they could not help but feel as if this was going to be a very ludicrous request.

"Do you care to inform us of your request now Kaname-sama?" another member of the council asked.

"No. Not at this very moment I wish for the other council members to be present before I ask this of you. It is rather important". Kaname reported, causing a few raised eyebrows amongst the group. What could be this important to the famous Kuran Kaname?

"Very well then shall we proceed to the conference room, then you can ask us anything you wish." Tariku said to everyone around him.

Kaname nodded and turned away from the council members and began to walk towards a wooden door on the left hand side of the ballroom. He could sense the others following his footsteps.

As the procession slowly made its way through the crowd towards the conference room they were joined by the other members of the council who had separated from the main group. Eventually they reached the old wooden door and Kaname walked inside followed by twenty elders.

"Kaname-sama, what is this all about?" Katsuma Tanaka blurted out as soon as the door closed. "You forget that tonight is not a council event but rather a chance for us to socialise with others. Surely this request of yours could have waited until a council meeting?' Tanaka's tone of voice was angry and frustrated; he shot Kaname's back a deathly glare but abruptly stopped when the pureblood started to turn.

"Katsuma-san, how nice to see you again." Kaname pointed out politely, but the look of malice in his eyes did not go unnoticed and Katsuma could not look him in the eyes. "I know you're all wondering why I brought you away from the party but I have something to ask of you, something which I know will not be taken lightly."

"Hai, Kaname-sama, but if you please could you get down to the point I have things to do." Katsuma snapped.

"Very well. I would like your permission to break my engagement to Sara Shirabuki." he asked, his tone of voice making him seem bored but his beautiful Kuran eyes gave away his sincerity and his desperate desire for them to agree.

The council members stood there staring, eyes wide and mouths hanging, barely remembering to breathe.

"What? Kaname-sama? Why do you ask this now? I thought you and Sara-san were happy together." one of the younger council members asked.

"We were… but I don't think we can stay that way. I would like to end it now before she gets hurt. However, I need your permission to do so." he replied.

However, Katsuma interrupted "That is out of the question, Sara Shirabuki and her father are extremely important to the council and from a very important family. We cannot simply break your engagement without any cause… as a pureblood yourself you should know how they benefit our lifestyle."

"Even if that were the case Katsuma-san." someone near the back of the group voiced before making his way forward. He was younger than most of the others around him. He was of medium height and had short brown hair and was looking at Kaname with extreme interest before he continued. "Kaname-sama, you know better than I do but just as much as the others here, you cannot break the engagement to Sara-san without a fitting replacement. As one of the few remaining purebloods, you must maintain the bloodline. You need a legitimate engagement to be able to produce pureblood heirs."

Kaname chuckled darkly. "Don't you think I'm a little young to be thinking about producing heirs?"

A gasp emitted from the elders within the room and Katsuma was quick to voice his outrage. "Absolutely not Kaname-sama! You have a duty to keep the bloodline going!"

"If you wish to end your engagement to Sara-san you must show to us a suitable replacement." another voiced.

Now most of the council members were engrossed in Kaname's situation and were either listening intently to what he and the elder members were saying, or talking hurriedly between themselves. They darted anxious glances in Kaname's direction.

"Would it help if I told you that I have someone in mind who would be more than adequate as a replacement?" Kaname half shouted over the noise.

"What?" Katsuma questioned. "Who might this be?"

"You know her… you all do." Kaname explained "You, Katsuma, were with her before you came to this meeting."

Confused everyone turned to Katsuma and shot him quizzical looks.

"Before…?" Katsuma muttered. Trying to remember the commotion of Kanames request had sent her to the back of his mind, but then a sudden look of realisation passed across his face and finally – anger. "That ex-human? Kaname-sama you have got to be kidding."

Kaname's eyes flashed red and he bared his fangs at the nobles before him. "You will never talk about Yuuki in that way again. She is not an ex-human, she was not changed by a pureblood, and she was hidden by her mother to protect her from Kuran Rido. She was born a pureblood, but hidden as a human for her own safety, only to be reawakened two years ago by Rido himself."

"Yuuki? Cross Yuuki-sama?" the words resounded around the room as everyone tried to understand what he meant.

"Kaname-sama, Cross Yuuki… but she… I don't see how…How would she make a better fiancée than Sara-san?" Katsuma stammered.

"Why wouldn't she?" Kaname asked. "Yuuki, is also a pureblood like myself, so you can relax when it come to pureblood heirs if that is your main concern. She is also kinder and smarter than Sara and is not interested in me purely for my blood and to top everything else: I care more for her than anyone or anything else in this world."

There was a murmur from the people within the room, some of approval; some of annoyance.

"Kaname-sama, Gomen-nasai, but I cannot allow this…I leave this to my colleagues." the younger council member who had spoken little before bowed to Kaname before leaving the room.

"I suppose this is the moment then." an elder grimaced "Those of us who agree to allow Kaname-sama's request for the end of his imminent marriage raise your hands."

Kaname looked around and was pleased to see hands go up, but soon grimaced and a low hiss came from his chest. Including the now nineteen council members present in the room only eight raised their arms; leaving eleven opposing him.

"Gomen-nasai, Kaname-sama…" Katsuma announced, not looking or sounding sorry at all but rather smug and happy. Kaname raised a hand to silence him and he fell quiet.

"It seems I am outvoted. But know this…I shall not break off my engagement, at your request, but no longer shall I become the slave of the council. I will never marry Sara Shirabuki for she is, nor ever shall be, any good for the purebloods. Yuuki Cross and I are destined to be together and you cannot prevent us. This I promise you."

Kanames eyes flashed red and he walked through the crowd of nobles who shot him worried, anxious and frightened looks but parted to allow him through. The rage Kaname felt was so obvious to them that it might as well have been visible.

Kaname exited the room leaving the council behind all of them feeling confused and annoyed at Kaname.

Walking out of the wooden door Kaname turned left and walked towards the grand staircase, intending to find somewhere to get some peace and quiet, to allow the anger to flow through him and end completely.

He ascended the stairs and turned again.

**- End flashback - **

_That's when I saw her again, _Kaname thought, d_ancing with Aidou. She looked so incredibly sexy; better than anyone I've ever seen._

Kaname sighed and walked down the steps towards the sidewalk. Lost in thought he barely took in where he was walking, only bringing his subconscious back to reality when he rounded a corner, looking for his car.

Soon enough his black Lamborghini was in his sight and he began to dig around in his jacket pocket for his keys. When he found them he climbed into his car and began to drive, very quickly. Speeding through the dark streets of Tokyo, Kaname spent the best part of his concentration to stay focused on the road. But his mind kept wandering…

_Her hands in my hair, kissing my neck… _Kaname thought. He shook his head and tried to rid his mind of the thoughts.

Suddenly Kaname was assaulted by memories of his first encounter with Yuuki other than the passing glances at Cross Academy. Their little tryst in the elevator of their apartment building…

_Her waist, her hair…her kisses. God! I can't get her out of my head. The way she kissed me that day was just heavenly._

He sighed and briefly closed his eyes before he diverted his attention back to driving. He now realised that he had managed to drive in the right direction and was around the corner from his apartment building. He slowed and turned into the lay-by in front of his building. Stopping, but not cutting the engine, he climbed out and left the door open. Behind his back he sensed the usher hurrying forward and heard the door shut and the engine rev as it was driven away to the garage behind the building.

Kaname slowly walked into the main foyer and started towards the elevator. Also standing there was a young guy who Kaname _thought_ seemed familiar but he could not place a name to the face. He waited in silence as the elevator doors opened slowly in front of him and he and the other guy both walked in.

"Which floor?" the man asked Kaname.

"19." he replied bluntly.

"Oh, so you're Kuran Kaname?" the guy asked.

"Yeah, that's me." Kaname smiled.

"I heard you and your girlfriend moved in the penthouse a few weeks ago." the guy continued.

"Yeah, I won't be here long; I'm off to university at the end of the week. Sara might stay here though…" Kaname informed him but was speaking dazedly

"Haven't we met before?" the guy asked.

"I'm not sure." Kaname admitted. "I think I recognise you, but I can't remember where from."

They both stood in silence for a while; the buttons slowly lighting up as they passed each floor. When the number '9' button lit up, the guy near Kaname exclaimed

"Oh I remember now! You were in the lift that night I had a date with Yuuki. You're her friend right? I'm Unoki." Unoki held out a hand, and Kaname took it without figuring what he was doing.

"Well, more acquaintances than friends." Kaname uttered, not letting it show how much he hated saying those words.

"Oh right… well I thought you two were quiet close. Oh well this is my stop, nice to see you again. Bye." Unoki waved and exited at floor 16. From the elevator Kaname could see the front door of Yuuki's apartment. Kaname sighed and remembered when he was in there with Yuuki.

_She looked even better dripping wet… no Kaname, stop! _He thought before mentally shaking himself.

_Christ I need a long cold shower. _

The doors slid shut and Kaname stood absentmindedly staring at the metal doors.

The elevator doors opened up right on Kaname's spacious living room. The walls were pristine white and the carpet was black. Everywhere in the room different pieces of furniture were of the same colours and the entire south facing wall was made of glass. It gave a spectacular view of the city. The large, white 'L' shaped sofa was situated in the very centre of the room in a slight crevice that dropped a step down from the level of the rest of the room. Kaname dropped his keys in a black bowl resting on a white cabinet on the left of the elevator doors and started taking off his jacket. He threw it over the back of the white recliner and dropped onto the sofa. Sighing, Kaname brought his arm and let it cover his eyes, suddenly tired and in need of sleep.

He sat there in silence for what seemed to him a very long time. So tired and lost in thoughts of his Yuuki and how much she seemed to hate him at this very moment, he did not hear or even sense, someone sneak up on him. A pair of long slender arms wound their way around Kaname's neck and Sara leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. Kaname growled menacingly and she stopped. She was leaning over the back of the sofa.

"Sheesh, Kaname, what's got your knickers in a twist? I haven't seen you in nearly four days and when I want to say hi you growl at me! What the hell?" Sara hissed.

Kaname relaxed him arm and let it drop, but Sara did not move her arms from their vice like grip.

Sara sighed and swung her legs over the back of the sofa and dropped into a seat next to Kaname before curling her legs up and pouting at him, trying to joke and look innocent.

"Come on babe, you're not still angry with me are you?" she whispered, and leaned in once more to try and kiss him but the look he gave her made her coil away into the corner of the sofa. "Awww jeez Kaname, it was only a _little_ poison… If she hadn't drunk it so quickly it wouldn't have been that bad."

She spoke to her feet and when she looked up she had the sudden urge to run out the room. Kaname's eyes had turned a brilliant shade of scarlet and he was giving her a look of pure hatred.

"You nearly _killed_ her." Kaname hissed. "Believe me, Sara; you have no idea how hard it is for me not to kill you right now".

Sara grimaced. "Why do you care about her anyway? I'm your fiancée but ever since she came waltzing into your life we've got so distant. I'm losing you."

Kaname shook his head at her. "No Sara it's never been like that… what you meant to say was you're losing my blood. Ever since Yuuki came back into my life I've realised how much I never want to be with you."

Sara looked hurt. "You say that now… but as soon as we leave you'll be back to normal. You'll act like you never said that."

"I doubt that." Kaname hissed again. "I'm here now because the council denied my request to leave you. Then, when you find out, rather than bow out gracefully, you decided to attempt the murder of the most important person in my world. Have you any idea of the fact that you unintentionally made our chances even slimmer! No you didn't did you? You were too busy being selfish and jealous. But I can't blame you, Yuuki is perfect and everything you could never be; no wonder you were jealous"

His anger was clear and Sara pulled away from him, tears welling up in her eyes. "What is she to you, Kaname?"

His anger dropped and was replaced by a slight reluctance. "The most important person in the universe."

Sara sighed "That's not what I meant… why are you so interested in a cheap little tart who could never amount to anything? What is so special about her?"

The vase on the coffee table blew up and the flowers within it tumbled onto the glass surface whilst the water fanned out and started dripping off the edge of the table. Sara jumped three feet into the air and Kaname turned to look her straight in the eye. His usually chocolate eyes were burning a deep shade of crimson and she trembled in fear.

"Sara, if I _ever_ hear you talking about my Yuuki like that again… I swear to god you will never see the light of day again. I promise you that." Kaname's voice was low, but more menacing than any other sound Sara had ever heard and she found herself crying and shaking in fear. It was so unlike Kaname to act this way.

With that Kaname turned and stormed down an adjacent corridor towards the bathroom. He slammed the door shut with such force the hinges buckled but he did not care. Furious with Sara and himself, Kaname leaned against the door, breathing heavily. Not once had he lost his temper like that; Sara was lucky he hadn't ripped her to shreds but there was no way in heaven he was going to let her get away with calling Yuuki such things.

Once Kaname calmed down a little he moved away from the door and started towards the shower in the corner. Like the living room, everything in the bathroom was either black or white. The walls and floor were covered with black tiles, but the freestanding bath tub and shower, as well as the built in sinks (his and hers) were white. The counter which the sinks were laid into was made of white marble and had flecks of black and silver in it. Whenever the light caught it, it glimmered and sparkled like jewels. He leaned over the counter and stared at his reflection in the mirror. In it he saw the fading red of his irises and a selfish person who… how had Yuuki put it… doesn't care how many people he uses and throws away as long as he gets what he wants.

_If only you knew Yuuki… If only you knew how much I've given up and what I would give up for you to be with me now. To be able to make you understand._

Kaname bowed his head and exhaled loudly. He turned and switched the shower on. He kicked off his shoes and flicked them into the corner of the room near the white laundry basket before he pulled the dark blue silk shirt over his head. Underneath he had a white tank top so now he stood there, leaning against the sink, in this top and dark jeans. Sighing, Kaname tried to block out Sara who was now screaming down the phone to someone. Deciding it was impossible (that woman has such a big mouth) he walked over to the door and turned on the stereo resting on a shelf high above the floor. He pressed play and stood still listening to the sound of 'Supermassive Blackhole' by 'Muse'. Kaname turned and walked towards the shower, undressing on the way. Stepping into the shower he barely flinched when the scorching hot water made contact with his cool skin. Allowing the water to wash over him, his thoughts wandered once again to the dark haired pureblood he held so dearly. Cringing, he could not manage to rid his mind of her hurt words…

"_How can you say that he cares for me Takuma?"_

Her words resonated around his mind and he could not help but hate himself for the pain he inflicted on her.

Before stepping out of the shower, one sentence of Yuuki's ran through his head for the last time.

"_Now for the third and final time! Leave me alone and go back to your fiancée."_

Kaname turned the water off and stepped out before wrapping a towel around the lower half of his naked body and walked out of the bathroom door, making his way to his bedroom. Before collapsing onto the red sheets, he made one last promise to himself…

_No matter what you say, do or think… I will get you back, I promise, Yuuki._

* * *

**Wow you all made it to the bottom of the page. Well done you! Isn't that last line sorta cute!**

**Thanks again to my amazing beta reader "VampireMaddy" without her amazing re-reading and correctional skills i would have a very awful story. Love to you chick.**

**Also love to everyone who reviews.**

**Hope you liked it and as a final note ...REVIEW ....please?**

**I might have another chapter up in the next two weeks depends if i can make time for writing instead of stupid revision! I have exams in a couple days and it's dead annoying! Stupid chuffing school went back today (7th) and i already have 6 different peices of homework on top of memorising french and other shit....enough complaining i'll biore you.**

**Bye bye!**

**Guess what? OMG it's my birthday on the 24th hehe i'll update beforde then i promise. =D xxxx**


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9: Spin the bottle**

**Hey guys!!! OMG!! This is totally my longest chapter i've written by like a thousand words...i'm really proud of myself. Only problem don't know how to continue...i haven't finished it i'm no where near i just need to get past the 8ft thick/9ft tall brick wall that is my writers block. Anyhoo (i say that a lot) i promised to update before the 24th so here you go...hope you enjoy. As always read and review it inspires my creative genius *cough cough* =D.**

**A shout outn o everyone who favourite's this story and puts it on Story alert love you all...ENJOY!!!!**

"Oh for crying out loud!" Yuuki shouted at the TV "Is there not anything on this fucking thing that isn't a romantic comedy?" Yuuki pushed the red button which turned the screen blank and violently flung the remote across the room where it landed harshly on the armchair opposite her, causing the batteries to fall out and get lost down the side of the cushions.

Ichijou was walking slowly around the back of the sofa where Yuuki was sitting and had his face buried in a manga. At the sound of her voice he looked up and laughed at her expression. She looked utterly pissed off but almost like she was going to laugh at the same time.

_She looks so cute _he thought _Wait, did I just think that?_

Now wearing a confused face, he looked back at the pages of the comic in front of him and walked towards the door leading to the kitchen.

"It's ridiculous. Three days and nothing but happily ever afters…when are they going to learn not everything in real life ends perfectly?" she murmured darkly to herself and the young vampire next to her. Opposite Yuuki, apparently vastly interested in the pages of Star magazine (something which Yuuki knew from Shiki she had never looked twice at) sat Rima Touya curled up in a ball, sitting on her feet and facing Yuuki. Politely, Rima looked up from the magazine and nodded at Yuuki in agreement.

"Tell me about it, there is never anything on." she muttered, sounding extremely bored.

"Well there has got to be _something_ we can do." Yuuki moaned loudly.

Yuuki turned to face Rima and, like her friend, pulled her feet off of the white rug covering the hardwood floor and tucked them underneath her. Yuuki was lazing around Takuma Ichijou's townhouse in her favourite pair of sweats and a loose fitted batman t-shirt, similar to what she had been doing for the past two days. Yuuki's hair was tied up in a greasy… well, greasy in Yuuki's opinion, bun and her face was clear of all make-up. The result: Yuuki looking more than half dead. Rima on the other hand looked perfect and very clean, having just come back from a photo shoot with Shiki, who had since disappeared upstairs with Rima's box of pocky.

Rima was wearing a pair of light blue shorts, which stopped just above her knees, and a red and white striped tank top. Her golden hair was, as usual, tied up in two pigtails at the top of her head. The only reason Rima sat there and was not currently wrestling Shiki for her pocky back was that Yuuki had not moved in almost three days except to go to the bathroom or to go to sleep in the guest room down the hall. The rest of the time she was sat curled up on the sofa complaining to anyone who would listen about what was on the telly and Rima was really starting to worry. Ever since Kaname had left Yuuki refused to go home. She had convinced Yori, who had left on Saturday morning, to bring her some fresh clothes, explaining to everyone that she was just too lazy to go and get some.

"Because it's all the way over there." she would pout whenever someone asked her why she would not go home, allowing her arm to loll around in mid air while pointing randomly out of the window, and never taking her eyes off the images on the screen. Everyone in the house knew that she wasn't going to go back to her apartment until she could be sure that Kaname and Sara would not be there. However, they were all too clever to mention this reason to Yuuki… Well, at least to her face.

Rima smiled brightly at Yuuki. After three days of mindless staring and complaining this was the most animation Yuuki had exerted.

"Well, Yuuki-sama, what do you want to do?" Rima asked politely, setting aside her magazine.

"I don't know!" she wailed, before running her hand through her hair. "Urgh! Yes I do! I'm going to get in the shower, I'm disgusting."

Rima laughed as Yuuki sprang to her feet and half-ran towards the bathroom "Don't move one inch!" she shouted to Rima.

Rima rolled her eyes and shook her head slightly but did as she was asked and sat perfectly still.

Aidou burst through from the kitchen, laughing manically. From behind him Ichijou was also collapsing in fits of laughter but remained in the kitchen, clutching the black worktop, while Ruka giggled slightly on his right.

"Hanabusa, you better had get yourself back in here before I personally come and rip you to shreds." Kain called, sounding furious. Not for the first time since they arrived at the townhouse his usual composed behaviour had been shattered and his wild personality had broken through - thanks to the actions of his cousin.

Aidou however, only moved further away from the kitchen door and literally crawled towards an armchair on the opposite side of the room, laughing like a four year old. Panting and clutching his ribs, he managed to hoist himself onto the chair making it, despite shaking as much as he was. Silent tears of laughter fell down his cheeks as he writhed around in his seat. After a few minutes Ichijou followed Aidou into the living area with his precious manga tucked neatly under his arm, staggering with laughter himself before he managed to hang on to the wall for support. Following him was Ruka a huge grin plastered over her usually tranquil features who walked casually over to the sofa and dropped elegantly into the seat next to Rima.

"What did I miss?" Rima asked, genuinely intrigued.

"Akatsuki…his face." was all Aidou could splutter before he was overcome with another onslaught of sniggers. Ichijou waved dismissively and clutched the wall harder and shook with silent chuckles, unable to pause for breath; never mind _explain._

"What did you do now Hanabusa?" Rima asked again.

"What's all the commotion?" Yuuki enquired when she entered the room. Although still wearing her sweats and batman top, her hair was now hanging limply, dripping wet by her waist. She took one glance at Aidou and Ichijou before narrowing her eyes. "Who's got laughing gas?"

"No ones got laughing gas, Yuuki-sama." Ruka chirped, "It's just that Hanabusa found a new way to wind Akatsuki up. This one was actually quite amusing…"

"For you!" Kain screeched from the kitchen in a very high pitched voice.

Yuuki's eyes lit up and she beamed.

"Come on then… spill." Yuuki demanded, before also dropping onto the sofa on the other side of Ruka. The three girls now sat comfortably on the sofa while Aidou squirmed on the armchair and Ichijou's doubled over figure hovered just above the bare floorboards. Akatsuki still hadn't emerged from the kitchen.

Ruka grinned again. It was unnatural for a girl as dignified as her to smile this much. Yuuki and Rima both looked at her frowning. Ruka began to explain at high speed, in a way that only girls can understand.

"You know Akatsuki has been getting letters off some random day class girl from the Academy?" Ruka started.

Yuuki interrupted here. "Yeah, hasn't he been on the phone for like two days trying to get in touch with my dad to get them expelled or something?"

Ruka grinned again. "Yes, they knew his home address and practically everything about him so he got worried. Hanabusa here just informed us who she was."

"Wait, you understood that?" Ichijou managed to voice, incredulous, but no one really paid any attention to him.

"Who?" Rima asked, still frowning

"Me!" Aidou burst out, still laughing manically. "I've been writing and sending them for about four weeks."

Yuuki looked at Rima raising one eyebrow whilst Rima looked at Yuuki with a blank expression. Yuuki's face broke out into a huge grin and they both fell about laughing; something Rima hardly every does. Yuuki almost fell off the sofa laughing whilst Rima lolled about over the arm of the sofa, clutching her sides. Ruka sat in the middle, grinning broadly. The door to the kitchen burst open and Aidou instantly stopped laughing and stared fearfully at the empty space.

Through the doorway walked Akatsuki Kain; looking murderous. Striding into the room, his eyes kept Aidou frozen to the chair. Slowly and menacingly, he took off the black shirt that hung open over a red turtleneck and threw it to Ruka who caught it tentatively. Every eye in the room was now either focused on Kain's offensive crouch and crimson eyes or Aidou's quivering form in the armchair. Unless those eyes belonged to Yuuki, who was trying to watch both at the same time, looking from Kain to Aidou and back again repeatedly. Kain breathed deeply and whispered to Aidou.

"You have three seconds." was all he said.

By the end of his breath Aidou was gone; a cloud of smoke resembling his body was left behind as he scurried out of the room. Kain was after him in an instant, moving so fast he was a blur.

Aidou squealed like a little girl making everyone laugh again.

"No! Akatsuki stop… please… No, ow! That got me right on the arse! Stay back I'm warning you... I'll tell!" Aidou screamed.

Looking up, Ruka, Rima, Yuuki and Ichijou all saw Aidou running along the second floor balcony above their heads. The seat of his pants was smoking a little, followed by a still furious Kain, who had a ball of fire resting in the palm of his hand.

"The chairman was going to tell my mother to move! You absolute Idiot!" he shouted, before throwing the fireball. Aidou ducked and the fire ball shot over his head and he brought his hands up to shield his face.

"No, not the face!" he pleaded, "I need it."

"Wait until I'm through with you and it will all be a distant memory." Kain threatened.

Aidou squeaked like a mouse being trodden on and darted down the stairs, reappearing behind Rima.

"Come on, Akatsuki." Aidou begged, ducking to avoid another fireball. "It was only a joke, lighten up."

"You'll be lightening up in a minute." Kain snarled.

With his mouth closed tightly, Aidou let out a very high pitched noise escape his lips but no one knew whether or not it was meant as a word.

Still standing near Rima's end of the sofa, Aidou cowered like a small child whilst Kain stood opposite him at the other end near Yuuki who looked positively petrified. She eyed the fireball still glowing in his curved palm with hesitation, afraid that if she made any sudden movements it would come after her.

No one was laughing now. The look in Akatsuki's eyes had silenced them all. Ruka sat in between Rima and Yuuki frowning at Kain who did not return her glances but rather continued glaring at Aidou. Ichijou was now upright and leaning in towards the scene in front of him, his eyes full of concern and worry. Yuuki was apparently having a staring match with Kain's hand (the flames were winning) and Rima…well, Rima just looked… bored. Again.

"Come on guys." Ichijou whispered "That's enough. You're gonna hurt someone or break something."

"I'll do _both_ in a minute and then it'll all be sorted." Akatsuki snarled.

He moved quickly and without warning, darting around the front of the sofa away from Yuuki, towards Rima… but Aidou was faster. With a higher pitched shriek than anyone could have imagined he could produce, Aidou dived onto the sofa, forcing the three girls to the edge of their seats but still close enough to shield him from Akatsuki's rage. Instantly, Kain's fireball dissipated, but he still stood in front of the sofa staring at Aidou with crimson eyes.

With a sigh, Ruka finally spoke. "When was the last time you had a blood tablet, Akatsuki?"

The question distracted him and his gaze fell onto the blonde beauty sitting directly in front of him.

"Erm…" he started, but Ruka interrupted.

"Exactly what I thought. I've told you about this before Kain. I _know_ they are disgusting, but we have to drink them or we end up getting pissed over the tiniest things… I've heard Aidou insult your mother before and you've never reacted like this."

Kain growled at the memory and Aidou whimpered. Rima, who was absentmindedly staring at the balcony over their heads; no doubt thinking about Shiki, gently dropped an arm onto Aido's lower leg and patted it, cooing a soothing "There, there it's okay now." as if he were a baby.

Ichijou was still standing tense in the corner, his usual smile absent from his kind face, but his eyes rested on Yuuki who was looking at him with raised eyebrows. He did all he could to suppress the smile from his face. Yuuki looked away and coughed to disguise her giggle.

Ruka and Kain were still locked in some sort of silent conversation, staring into each others eyes. Ruka stood, but Kain did not move. She began to move towards the kitchen but still he remained where he was and remained staring at Aidou and the gap in his defences that Ruka had left. Ruka sighed and shook her head once more before marching up to Kain and literally dragging him away. Everyone in the room winced, Ruka rarely showed off her inhumane strength and the fact that she was doing so now proved she was extremely annoyed with him. She considered it very un-ladylike. Kain never took his eyes off of Aidou who had begun to rise into a sitting position as Kain moved away. The door to the kitchen swung shut and Aidou let out a very relieved sigh.

"For a second there I thought I was a goner." he looked at the ceiling and mouthed a silent thank you towards it.

Yuuki giggled a little and Ichijou visibly relaxed; he removed the manga from under his arm and crossed the room to drop into the armchair Aidou had occupied earlier. Aidou sat up completely and threw his arm over the back of the sofa. Rima settled into the corner, bringing her legs up to her chest and sighing, still looking more than a little bored.

"What happened?" a bored voice asked from above their heads. Immediately everyone looked up and from the corner of her eye Yuuki saw Rima's eyes brighten slightly at the sight of Shiki, but other than that her expression barely changed, so no one noticed. Yuuki grinned and spoke to Shiki who was leaning on the rail.

"Hanabusa managed to piss Akatsuki off again." she replied bluntly.

"That explains the smell then." he noted.

"Oi!!" Aidou shouted at him, but he had already turned away and walked back to his room.

Yuuki looked at Rima and her eyes narrowed when she noticed that the little sparkle in her eye had gone completely. Rima now looked even more bored than before.

At that moment Yuuki sniffed, as did the rest of the vampires in the room, and turned her attention towards the kitchen door. From within that room a strong scent of fresh blood poured through the gaps around the door. Everyone sighed but turned away. Ruka was giving Kain some of her blood to quench his thirst and the smell of that blood was hard to ignore, especially considering vampire blood smells, and tastes, a hell of a lot better than the blood tablet substitutes.

Aidou groaned. "I'm the one who gets fried and _he_ gets fresh blood. Gosh this sucks!" he then rose from his chair and stalked out the room, muttering dark things under his breath. Ichijou turned the last page of his comic and murmured something about getting a new copy and retreated upstairs into his room, shutting the door and not opening it again.

That left Yuuki and Rima alone again.

"We're back to having nothing to do again." Yuuki complained.

"Hmm…" Rima agreed.

"Well, it was an okay way to spend fifteen minutes." Yuuki added cheerfully.

"Hmm…" Rima agreed again.

Yuuki sighed in frustration, biting her tongue to keep the words in her mouth. But she was saved. At that moment the kitchen door opened again and Kain and Ruka both walked out. Ruka was adjusting the collar of her shirt and Kain was visibly in a better mood; a huge smile played on his lips and he rested one hand on the small of Ruka's back. Ruka was smiling gently too and the sight made Yuuki slightly nauseous.

"Where's Hanabusa?" Akatsuki asked, his eyes now calm and back to their original hazel brown colour.

"Dunno…" Yuuki replied, "He stalked off somewhere muttering about something or other."

Kain's eyebrows pulled together in a slight frown. "I should probably go and apologise. I overreacted… it's just those blood tablets are so disgusting. I usually don't have a problem with them, but lately…"

_Probably all the blood you're getting off Ruka_. Yuuki thought to herself irritably. _Sort of changes your preferences._

Yuuki frowned and shook her head.

"Can't it wait until later?" Ruka asked innocently, her face pulled into a slight pout.

"Why?" Kain asked, looking down at her.

"I want to go somewhere with you." she replied.

He frowned a little, evidently torn between worry of his cousins' state of mind and pleasing Ruka. Eventually pleasing Ruka won.

"Okay, where you want to go?" he asked, trying, and failing, to sound annoyed as he looked at her happy face.

"Yay!" was all she said, before stepping towards him on tip toes and kissing him lightly on the cheek. She then took his hand and pulled him from the room, his face a mixture of awe and disbelief. Despite the fact Kain and Ruka had been together a while now, and everyone knew, she didn't really think much of an openly physical relationship; the simple gesture was so out of character for her.

"See you later guys." Ruka called from the front door.

Yuuki and Rima shouted their goodbyes and both of them sighed when the door shut with a snap.

"Urgh! Doesn't it just make you want to hurl?" Yuuki blurted out. "They may not be all physical in public but the looks and little gestures are nearly as bad."

Scowling, she folded her arms across her chest and stared angrily at the wall, probably hoping to drill a hole into it.

"Tell me about it…" Rima agreed, and the rolling of her eyeballs was almost audible.

Yuuki snapped her head back to Rima's face so fast she could have given herself whiplash. Her neck cracked loudly and she winced before letting her hand massage the bone. She began staring at Rima's oblivious expression with utter disbelief. Rima just stared wide eyed back at the pureblood, completely unaware as to why she moved so fast. Yuuki gaped and then started laughing without any real humour.

"You've _got_ to be kidding me." Yuuki snorted.

"What?" Rima asked.

"Likeyou of all people can talk"" Yuuki retorted, without anger but just annoyance.

"What?" Rima persisted, her brow furrowing in a most unattractive way.

Yuuki just continued laughing.

Frustrated, Rima picked up her magazine and rolled it tightly into a long tube, before swiping Yuuki's head.

"Tell me…" Rima pleaded, thoroughly annoyed.

"You and Shiki, you're almost as bad as those two!" Yuuki pointed out, whilst using her free hand to massage her head

Rima sat there frozen; magazine poised midair for another strike at Yuuki, eyes wide and glazed over, barely breathing. Then she blushed uncontrollably, her usually porcelain, white skin flushed with a sea of pink roses and she diverted her gaze from Yuuki's all knowing eyes.

"Don't know what you're talking about…" Rima uttered in a voice, so quiet even Yuuki had trouble catching it.

"Bull!" Yuuki shouted. "Load of bullshit! I've seen the way you look at each other. Why can't you both get over your… pride and embarrassment… whatever it is and just make out already? We all know it."

Rima shook her head defiantly but continued to blush furiously.

"Come on Rima! Admit it! You like him and he likes you." Yuuki whispered loudly.

"You're evil, Yuuki-sama. Pure evil. A wicked little pixie." Rima hissed, ashamed.

"I knew it! I'm right, aren't I? Come on, I promise I won't tell a soul." Yuuki promised.

"ALRIGHT!" Rima hissed again. "Fine! You win, I like him, ok? Happy now?"

"Not really. Does he know?" Yuuki pressed.

"Of course he doesn't know. I've only known myself for a few days." Yuuki raised one eyebrow at this, and Rima quickly amended "Fine, a few weeks. But it doesn't matter anyway, he doesn't like me that way, so don't you dare tell him how I feel." she threatened. When Rima was whispering her threats seemed even more dangerous.

"Like I would." Yuuki assured her. "Anyway you're wrong again. He likes you too, I know it."

"Has he told you that?" she asked confidently.

"Well…no." Yuuki hesitated, "But it's obvious."

Rima snorted this time and did not continue.

"So you're not going to tell him?" Yuuki whispered.

"Durr! Of course not!" Rima replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh…I will then." Yuuki replied, throwing Rima an evil smile.

"_You wouldn't_." Rima snarled, her eyes narrowing.

"Oh, I would!" Yuuki grinned, before jumping off the sofa and sprinting for the stairs.

Rima let out a strangled scream and almost flew after her, tackling Yuuki and pulling her to the ground.

"No! Yuuki-sama…please don't. Please. I'm begging!" Rima panted, still restraining Yuuki.

"It's for your own good!" Yuuki wheezed, trying to free herself from Rima's vice like grip. "Jeez you're strong."

"What's going on here?" someone shouted.

Yuuki and Rima both stopped struggling and looked up. Leaning down, looking thoroughly amused, was the smiling face of Takuma Ichijou who had surfaced from him room just as Rima pulled Yuuki to the floor.

"Nothing." Rima said hastily, pulling her and Yuuki off the floor. Yuuki was shaking with silent laughter and Rima took advantage of her distraction and bolted up the stairs faster than the energizer bunny on ecstasy. Stopping near Ichijou she whispered: "Yuuki-sama is being a conniving little pixie, that's all. Don't let her out of your sight, it's all part of her evil plan, she might be after you next."

Rima then turned and yanked open Shiki's bedroom door and slammed it so forcefully that the pictures hanging from the wall shook ominously. Ichijou stared at the door for a while before turning his attention to Yuuki, who had fallen to her knees, absolutely hysterical from Rima's behaviour.

"Are you going to tell me what happened then?" he asked, humour clearly coating his every word and wide grin spread across his face. He and Aidou had been trying for years to get Shiki and/or Rima to react like that.

"I would, but I fear for my life too much. She would tear me to pieces." she spluttered, clutching her ribs.

Ichijou just chuckled and started down the stairs. Yuuki finally finished laughing and followed his descent with her eyes. He stopped just in front of her and leaned down towards her. Tucking his arm securely under her elbow he pulled her to her feet. Unfortunately Yuuki had developed a habit lately that involved tripping over non-existent objects and blaming the beavers. She stumbled and starting falling towards him. Luckily, Takuma wasn't quite as uncoordinated as Yuuki and so was able to steady her. He caught her gently in his arms and brought her upright. She gazed up at him and blushed slightly.

"Thanks…" she mumbled, and struggled to meet his gaze.

"Erm…" Ichijou murmured. "Come on, let's sit down before you break something."

They both giggled and Ichijou led Yuuki to her previous seat. Her waist length hair had finally dried and now hung in loose ringlets down her back.

They sat in silence for a while… a first for the two of them, throwing each other awkward glances.

_That was awkward _Yuuki thought I _haven't been that close to anyone since Kan… no stop, I will not think that wretched name again! _She flinched at the thought.

Ichijou uncomfortably cleared his throat and turned to face Yuuki.

"Yuuki?" he started.

"Hai, Takuma?" she replied, but did not look at him as her mind was concentrating on _not_ thinking about a certain gorgeous pureblood. _Shit! _she thought _I can't think like that anymore._

"Gomen, I know you don't like it… but I have to ask you something." he explained awkwardly.

Yuuki didn't like the sound of his voice and prepared herself for a conversation she had somehow managed to avoid for the past few days.

"You know, we're leaving at the end of the week. I was wondering when you are planning on returning home. It's not like I don't love having you here, I really do, but I would worry having you here by yourself." he rushed in a babble of conversation.

Yuuki sighed heavily, but inwardly decided that Takuma would not mind her insecurities. "Takuma, don't worry. I'll leave when you guys do. It'll be weird, it's been nice being around some of my own kind, but I can't go back there when there is a chance of running into him. If I see Kaname…" she struggled with the word "… or even Sara for that matter, I don't think I would be able to stay calm. I don't want to go back in front of the council to be chastised for my anger problems."

Takuma smiled but furrowed his brow, utterly confused. "Why would the council worry about your anger, Yuuki?"

Yuuki smiled "I hope you're comfortable."

Ichijou hastily settled onto the sofa and rested his elbow on his knee before cupping his chin and cast Yuuki a quizzical look worthy of any council member. With one eyebrow raised he addressed Yuuki in a very posh voice:

"Please, do continue."

Yuuki grinned at him before starting. "Well you know that I don't usually talk about this, okay? So give me a little credit." She paused and Ichijou nodded in encouragement. Taking a deep breath, Yuuki explained.

"Can you remember how reluctant I was to go to Shiki's party that night?" she asked.

Ichijou nodded but did not interrupt. So she continued.

"That's because I don't really get along well with the council. There were so many members there that I felt really uncomfortable. Hanabusa and Akatsuki really did save me from Katsuma. He was pissing me off and I was going to say something. I hate it when they poke their noses into our business…"

"Hold on a minute." Ichijou interrupted "You say 'our'? What did they do to you and others?"

"I'm getting there don't worry." Yuuki smiled reassuringly. "Well when I was talking to Katsuma and then he started saying things about Shiki and Rima and how he had heard a rumour about their supposed relationship. He started acting like it would be a scandal if the two of them were more than friends. It was none of his business so I told him that he was going to say something but the guys turned up and literally saved my ass. He annoyed me, thinking he could pry about Shiki and Rima, if they want to get it on it's up to them. I don't know or care about what is going on between them, so why should he?"

Yuuki was now so furious she had to pause to let herself calm down. Closing her eyes and taking several deep breaths. Ichijou took advantage of her silence and started asking more questions.

"But you said 'our'! I know you and Rima are friends but why would you class yourself in the same category? What did they do to you, Yuuki?"

Yuuki took another deep breath before opening her eyes and Ichijou recoiled involuntarily. Yuuki's eyes were burning crimson.

"This is what pisses me off most about Kaname." she hissed and Ichijou just frowned in confusion "He talks about how it is impossible to break his engagement even though he cares more about me." Yuuki could not suppress her snort of revulsion "It's not as impossible as he makes out."

"What do you mean, Yuuki? I don't understand?" Ichijou complained, sounding utterly frustrated.

"When I was re-awoken by Rido I was introduced to the council by my father. They were nice at first, understood my situation as well as I did, and they really helped when I had trouble with my thirst and everything. Then after about six months in my vampire body they got all shifty and started whispering about me; scheming. I wasn't worried at first, thought I was just being paranoid at being the new girl and everything. Didn't realise I was right though…" Yuuki's expression darkened. "Couple of weeks later I was brought into council and told some very _joyous_ news." she mocked the councils words and sarcasm dripped off her every word. "I was introduced to the son of one of the elders and informed that this stranger was my new fiancé."

Ichijou's eyes widened and his mouth dropped. He gaped at her incredulous and stammered:

"Y-you're engaged!"

Yuuki snorted "Am I shite! I told them all to… go forth and multiply **(A/N: Fuck off!) **and walked off, laughing. I thought it was a joke. He was another pureblood of course; we had a duty the keep the line going as they said. Eventually we came to blows about it and I refused to go through with it despite their insistence. In their eyes I'm still engaged to whatever his name was until I find a fitting replacement, but they know I will never marry him; but they can't lose face can they? After that they hardly ever talk to me now, only if they have to and they downright disapprove of anyone who is friendly with me. Katsuma especially hates me; it was his cousin that was meant to marry me. He calls me the filthy ex-human now. I, for one, could not give a flying fuck. They can stick their marriage and their rules."

Yuuki finished her explanation and went quiet, stuck in bitter thoughts of the council.

Ichijou just sat there in silence.

"Wow! That's one hell of a reason!" someone piped up through the quiet.

Yuuki and Ichijou both looked up to see Shiki and Rima both leaning over the railing of the upper floor.

"You know, you are my friends but I wish you wouldn't sneak up on me like that. Possibly I didn't want you to hear all that." Yuuki informed them crossly.

"Gomen-nasai, Yuuki-sama." Shiki replied quickly. "We heard our names before and we came to investigate."

Yuuki nodded "I know. I don't mind. To be honest you scared the hell out of me."

_It's kinda sweet the way they see each other; never on their own, always 'we', never 'I'. It's as if they want to be seen as a pair… I wish they'd both realise. _Yuuki thought and she sighed.

Shiki and Rima both turned and made their way down the stairs, slowly and quietly; bored, like they always seemed to be.

"That was really nice of you to stand up for us, Yuuki-sama." Rima said, blushing a little as she thought back to their earlier conversation.

Yuuki just grinned at her. Shiki and Ichijou did not notice much.

Just then the front door opened with a bang and a cold breeze swept through the house making Rima and Yuuki shiver slightly. Soon it was gone and Ruka and Kain emerged into the living area holding hands. Kain was grinning and Ruka looked flushed from the wind; her pale cheeks had a faint pink glow in them.

"Hi everyone." Ruka announced. "Did we miss anything?"

"Nothing much…" Rima said.

"Rima did tackle Yuuki to the floor a while ago; that was fun to watch." Ichijou grinned along with Yuuki while Rima blushed and narrowed her eyes at the pair of them. Shiki just shot Rima a confused look and she shook her head at him. Not one to ask too many questions, Shiki just shrugged and started staring out of the window.

"Really? Why?" Ruka asked.

"For fun." Rima chirped up, still glaring at Yuuki. Who pointed at her own face and mouthed 'wasn't me' with the most innocent face she could muster without smiling.

Ruka grinned and separated from Akatsuki so she could go and sit in an armchair. Kain glanced around the room and frowned.

"Where is Hanabusa?" he asked.

Rima, Shiki, Yuuki and Ichijou all looked at each other and shrugged.

"Now that_ is_ a good question." Ichijou frowned "I haven't seen him since you left."

Everyone was thinking about when they had last seen Aidou but all of them shrugged and did not bother to answer.

"Don't all rush to find me at once! I'm fine, don't worry about me." Aidou announced, floundering in the room from a door near the kitchen.

"Hanabusa." Kain called "Listen man, I'm sorry about before, just these damn blood tablets are killing me. I'll never get at you about them again."

"Yeah you will…" Aidou replied, bored. "But I don't care anymore."

"Really?" Ichijou asked, perplexed by his answer.

"Yeah, I'm just too bored to get worked up at the minute." he sighed.

"Join the freaking club." Yuuki agreed. "No offence, Takuma, but you could have at least a board game or something."

Ichijou's face lit up and everyone started looking at each other, worried. An ecstatic Takuma was _never_ a good sign.

"I have an idea." he announced in a sing-song voice.

Kain walked over to Ruka and sat on the arm of her chair before throwing his arm around her protectively. Ruka was too busy glaring suspiciously at Ichijou to take much notice. Shiki and Rima looked bored, as usual. Aidou looked confused and Yuuki was almost beaming.

"What?" Yuuki cried excitedly.

"Lets play…truth or dare - Spin the bottle style!" he shouted.

"Eh?" Yuuki said dumbly, incapable of understanding.

"We play truth or dare as usual…" Ichijou explained. "…but instead of a dare we have to spin the bottle and whoever it lands on must be kissed."

Yuuki grinned evilly and shot Rima a very pleased glance. Rima noticed and sat up very straight looking horrified.

"You're in on it too?" she whispered at Ichijou.

"In on what?" he asked innocently.

"Nothing!" she amended quickly. "Never mind..."

"Ok then." he said, shaking his head. "Who's in?"

Yuuki almost jumped out of her seat in excitement. "ME! Me, me, me, me, me, me… oh, and Rima too."

"Wait! What?" Rima shouted, but she saw the look in Yuuki's eyes before she could protest anymore. She just groaned and nodded.

"If Rima is, then I am too." Shiki added, making Rima cringe even more for reasons unknown to all but Yuuki.

"Ruka?" Yuuki pleaded.

"Oh, alright. It'll give us something to do." she agreed and Kain nodded too.

"I'm not being the only one left out! I'm in too." Aidou screeched.

"Oh goody!" Yuuki clapped, looking more and more like a five year old.

"I'll go get a bottle. Everyone, gather round the table." Ichijou ordered, as he left the room into the kitchen.

"Right. We'll do this properly, girl and boy, ok?" Yuuki ordered too. "I'll sit here." she announced before falling to the ground sitting cross legged on the right side of the coffee table. "Akatsuki, next to me here, then Rima, Takuma will sit there, Ruka next and finally Shiki here." Yuuki commanded, and they each fell into place. "Oh wait, that leaves Hanabusa." Yuuki realised.

The doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" Rima offered hastily, earning a very weird look from Shiki. She raced out the room and opened the door.

"Yori-chan! How nice of you to call by!" Rima greeted Yori.

"Arigatou Rima-chan. Where are the others?" she enquired.

"Through here. We're playing truth or spin the bottle, courtesy of Ichijou." Rima explained.

"Ok I've got the bottle. Let's play!" he shouted, and everyone heard Rima shut the door and Yori remove her zip up jacket before they both came back into the playing zone. Yuuki grinned at Yori.

"Great! Now we have even numbers. Will you play?" Yuuki pouted.

"I suppose it won't hurt." Yori nodded.

"Be careful." Rima whispered, though everyone could hear her. "Yuuki-chan is being a conniving little pixie."

Yuuki giggled and grinned at Rima when she dropped back into position.

"Yori, sit next to Shiki and then Hanabusa is next to me." Yuuki organised cheerfully.

When everyone was seated Yuuki turned to Yori.

"Yori? Where is Jamie?" she asked frowning, she had barely seen Yori and Jamie apart.

"Well you see… after what happened on Friday he's a bit worried about his head. You threw that rock _real _hard and it must have damaged his brain. Every time I mention you, or rocks, he starts mumbling something. I heard him say once 'Nowhere near the psychotic pixie ever again!' So now he won't come near you, for fear of his life." Yori explained with a grimace. Yuuki flinched.

"Gomen-nasai, I'll have to speak to him soon."

"Shall we get started then?" Ichijou asked impatiently.

Rima grumbled, Shiki remained silent, Ruka nodded, Kain rolled his eyes, Yuuki grinned, Aidou made himself comfortable and Yori sat there looking rather awkward.

"Who's first then?" Yuuki asked, scanning the group for volunteers.

"I'll go since I suggested it." Ichijou grinned.

He started scanning the group of young faces eagerly looking for his first victim. Hid face brightened as they fell on Hanabusa Aidou's face. A grin worthy of any Cheshire cat spread across his face and Aidou instantly cringed.

"Hanabusa, have you ever had a gay experience?" he asked, grinning like a monkey.

Every face turned to Aidou and he looked at Ichijou looking confuzzled. **(A/N: My new awesome word for confused). **His eyebrows pulled together in a frown as he searched his memory for anything that would be classed as a gay experience.

"My dog Laddie snogged me when I was seven…" he started.

"I knew it!" Kain whispered.

"…does that count?" Aidou asked the group.

"No!" they chorused.

"Well, then… no I haven't." he announced smugly.

"Urgh! You're boring." Ichijou complained. "Didn't even have to spin. That's gay!"

"My turn!" Aidou grinned "Ruka…" he sang, and she flinched.

"This is not good." Ruka whispered.

"Did you or did you not… Did I or did I not see you steal Shiki's strawberry pocky last night?" he asked, sounding uncannily like a private eye.

Shiki's head snapped up and he glared menacingly at Ruka, who despite that look managed to remain appearing completely calm.

"Don't lie Hanabusa, you are meant to ask me a question not assume things. Answer: No."

"Don't lie, Ruka." Rima interjected. "You came in my room last night and we ate half the box."

Ruka shot Rima a death glare and Rima giggled.

"I trusted you." she hissed.

"OOOH! Ruka lied! Ruka lied!" Aidou chanted, while Ruka shamelessly avoided Shiki's gaze. Rima, on the other hand, punched him lightly on the shoulder and grinned at him.

"I'll buy you three more boxes and some chocolate. Okay?" she offered and he brightened a bit.

"That means we must spin the bottle." Ichijou announced, before leaning forward and making the bottle spin rapidly.

Kain breathed heavily as the image of Ruka kissing another man made him shake with fury. Ruka placed a hand delicately on his knee and smiled reassuringly at him.

The bottle slowed as it continued to slide over each person's form. Yuuki, Yori and Rima were tense; not exactly relishing in the thought of kissing another girl. Aidou was glowing - wanting nothing more than to be able to peeve his cousin off even more. Ichijou looked apprehensive, Ruka wasn't exactly his type, and Shiki… well Shiki looked just plain bored. What a surprise.

The bottle stalled passing by Aidou, who looked down dejectedly. Yori, who breathed a sigh of relief. Yuuki, who smiled. The bottle finally stopped pointing at Akatsuki.

Ruka stopped staring at the bottle and looked up to stare at Akatsuki. He grinned back at her and shuffled closer to the table. Ruka sat up on her knees and leaned across the table. Kain leaned in as well. Suddenly, Ruka wrapped her arms around his neck and half-dragged him across the table so she could kiss him very passionately. Everyone looked at the pair of them; some amused, some shocked and in Rima's case… utterly disgusted. They all just sat there staring until Yuuki saw Ruka's tongue.

"Hold your horses. I'm having none of that!" she shouted, and leaned over to push Ruka back to her seat. "Save that for later, where innocent eyes don't have to look."

Ruka giggled and Kain sat there staring dazedly into space, caught of guard from Ruka's sudden attack.

"Where did that come from? Ruka, what's gotten into you?" Aidou asked, flabbergasted.

Kain frowned and reached over to punch his cousin in the shoulder "Shut up, numbskull! I'm getting used to this."

Everyone smirked and Ruka blushed.

"Come on enough of that. Ruka your turn to ask." Ichijou reminded.

"Alright." she agreed, not taking her eyes off Akatsuki. They both had a glint in their eyes which clearly told everyone that their participation in the game was short lived. "Yuuki-chan, honestly, what happened between you and your neighbour, Unoki?"

Yuuki's eyes widened in shock and she blushed a very impressive shade of scarlet.

"Who told you…? What? How do you know about that?" Yuuki stammered.

"I have my sources." was all she replied.

Cringing, Yuuki replied through her teeth. "I'm not sure. I was so drunk, he says I managed to drag him to my room, take my clothes off and climb onto the bed but by then I had passed out. He said he woke up in the bathtub."

Everyone laughed at her embarrassment and she grabbed a cushion off the sofa and buried her tomato red face into the fabric.

"Right my turn." she mumbled. "Shiki?" she murmured, before casting a sideways glance at Rima, whose amused expression was replaced by horror within seconds. "You dare!" she mouthed, but Yuuki just grinned.

"Do you…" she paused to fake thinking. "Do you have a secret crush? A crush that no one knows about… not even Rima?"

Everything was silent. Everyone was looking at Shiki's expression. Well, everyone except Kain and Ruka who were still staring at each other. Shiki's cheeks had a faint pink tint but his expression did not change.

"Pass." he uttered.

"Na-uh!" Yuuki grinned, shaking her head. "Spill… yes or no?"

"Pass." he repeated.

Growling, Yuuki relented. "Fine!" she hissed. _I have better ways for this to work out anyway…_

Rima was staring at Shiki, looking curious and confused at the same time; she barely noticed the evil glint in Yuuki's eyes when she moved to spin the bottle. No one in this room had seen Yuuki use her pureblood powers, or rather her developing pureblood powers, so no one bothered about the small about of liquid that was left inside the bottle. Yuuki noticed and began scheming over how to use it. Her control of water was going to come in useful.

_It's only a small amount. I hope it's enough;_ _it might stop a bit too early or too late. I'll have to plan this carefully._

Using as much force as she dared, Yuuki flicked her wrist and watched as the bottle created a vortex in the centre of the table. Waiting until it slowed enough for her to see the liquid inside, Yuuki concentrated and made the water move around more, causing the bottle to continue moving. It slowed as it passed her and moved onto Kain.

_Just a little more _she thought.

It stopped half way between Kain and Rima.

_SHIT! _Yuuki thought

Kain eyed the bottle nervously and Rima visibly stiffened, staring at the bottle then to Shiki's vacant expression and finally to Yuuki's conniving grin.

"What does that mean?" Shiki asked in a bored voice.

"Well, you could either kiss both or…" Ichijou suggested, but he was interrupted.

"No he won't!" Ruka smirked. She got to her feet and offered a hand to Kain who stared at it for a minute before smirking back; both had a weird glint in their eyes. "Come on." she motioned.

Kain got up and took her hand and they both disappeared upstairs. Ruka was giggling and they all heard Ruka's bedroom door shut with a quick snap.

"Ew!" Yuuki groaned. "Gross!"

Ichijou smiled "Guess that leaves Rima and Shiki."

Rima sat straight up, looking like she was tied to a stake, her eyes wide with shock and a faint glimmer of curiosity. Shiki looked no different than before; he was sitting slightly straighter but other than that no visible difference.

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Aidou encouraged impatiently.

Rima cringed and shot Yuuki a pleading look which clearly screamed. "SAVE ME!!"

Yuuki just grinned and thought to herself: _She'll thank me for this later._

Just then the doorbell rang again.

"I'll get it." Shiki and Rima both shouted before they scrambled to the door.

Yuuki sighed in frustration and annoyance; her plan had been going so well.

Yuuki heard a loud banging of shoes on wood and looked up to see Rima and Shiki both locking themselves into his room.

"Well, that's not very nice is it?" she frowned.

"Jamie?" Yori exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Yuuki turned and flashed a smile at Jamie who was eyeing her frightfully. He was sporting a huge bruise as large as an egg on his forehead and Yuuki winced at the thought of how that must feel.

"Jamie! Hi!" she shouted. "Hey, I'm sorry about the whole…" she started circling her own forehead "…thing."

"Oh, erm… it doesn't matter. As long as you aren't going to throw things at me now." he smiled, but it was not very humorous and his eyes looked petrified.

"No you're safe." she grinned.

"Ok, good." he smiled back "You told me to come and get you, remember? We're going to that restaurant." Jamie explained to Yori.

"Oh yeah, sorry. I'll get my jacket." Yori hurried.

"Arigatou, Ichijou-kun." Yori muttered, before leaving with Jamie.

Yuuki shut the door behind her and sighed. Now she would have to think of another way of getting Shiki and Rima to admit their feelings to each other.

_Urgh! This is going to be problematic…_

Returning to where they were playing, Yuuki froze at the door.

"Aw that's just great!" she moaned loudly.

In the centre of the room was the coffee table, on top of it was the bottle and around it was…no one.

"Traitors." Yuuki muttered under her breath. They had _all_ ditched her. Yuuki could now sense Ruka, Kain, Rima, Shiki and Aidou upstairs in various rooms but she could not tell where Takuma was. Yuuki sighed in defeat and sank to her knees next to the table.

"It's only a game. They could have at least _said_ they didn't want to play." she pouted.

Absentmindedly she began spinning the bottle, at first it landed on herself, then the chair, then the door to the kitchen. She did not know how long she sat there alone, spinning the bottle before it landed on the corridor leading towards the bathroom.

"I guess that's me then huh?"

Yuuki jumped and looked up. Standing in line with the bottle was Takuma Ichijou.

"You could give Seiren a run for her money, sneaking up on people like that." Yuuki said casually.

"Gomen." he smiled, before walking to her and dropping down next to her.

He sat with one leg brought up to his chest and his arm draped over the top of his knee. The other leg was folded underneath him and he inclined his body towards Yuuki. She smiled at him.

"What's up, Yuuki?" he asked, his eyes full of concern.

"I'm just thinking about when you guys leave." she shrugged.

"What about it?" he frowned.

"I'll miss you guys…" she mumbled.

Takuma just laughed and threw one arm around her shoulder, pulling her head towards his and kissing her lightly on the forehead.

"You could always come with us you know. I'm sure the chairman would love to have you back." he suggested hopefully.

Yuuki smiled, but it did not touch her eyes. "I thought about it, but I don't think I would be very comfortable there."

"What…? Oh… Kaname." Takuma nodded

Yuuki nodded in agreement.

"Going home will be hard enough; I don't think I would be able to stand seeing them together everyday." she mumbled.

Ichijou sighed but nodded.

Yuuki looked up at him and adjusted her body so that she was now facing him instead of sitting to his side.

"You have beautiful eyes." she noted.

He grinned at her "Thanks, so do you."

Yuuki blushed and looked away. However, he reached out a hand and tucked his fingers under her chin and gently turned it back to meet his gaze.

"You shouldn't be sad, Yuuki, if it's Kaname that you want you should know he will fight for you."

Yuuki snorted "Yeah, right. Even if he did I'm not sure if I want him to, I mean, I don't know if I would be able to go through it all again. He's thrown my perspective of things out the window and now I have to start all over again. If he wasn't such a kiss arse to the council I might think different but he is so… I'm beyond confused." she confessed.

Takuma nodded, still holding her chin in his strong hands.

"You are too nice to me Takuma." Yuuki told him.

"Don't be ridiculous." he laughed and turned his head, dropping her chin.

"I'm not…" she whispered.

Her tone of voice made him look back and he was startled to see how close she was. He could see the thin layer of tears forming in her eyes. He reached up and gently wiped them away before dropping his arm back into his lap. Slowly she brought her head even closer to his. Besides his better judgement, and all the voices in his head screaming at him to stop, he found himself leaning towards her too. As the distance between them closed the voices screamed louder.

_I should not be doing this! _they said _I should stop this right now. What would Kaname say? Oh god, there would be hell to pay; he'd kill me! Ah screw Kaname he chose Sara didn't him… no, I shouldn't think like this. Kaname's my best friend I should not be about to kiss Yuuki, he loves her, whether she believes it or whether he admits it I know he does. Then why don't I want to stop…_

Despite all their screaming and discouragement here he was, sitting on the floor in his townhouse, about to kiss Yuuki. She wanted it, and so did he, but he could not help but feel it was wrong. But he did not stop.

Their lips made contact and it was gentle and slow. Just one kiss. More than a peck but full on tongues down the throat. It was slightly tentative; reserved and cautious. But it felt… delicate, nice.

_Should I be doing this? _Yuuki thought. _Am I just doing this because Kaname rejected me? I think I might be… I should stop._

She pulled away gently and looked into his eyes. They were shocked, but kind… But she could see the same argument she was having in her head reflected in his. He knew this was wrong too, though she did not stop herself leaning in again. It was the same…almost. Sweet, gentle. Their mouths moved slowly and in unison. Yet there was no passion. It felt nice… too nice and reserved.

_Stop this right now before it gets out of hand! _Takuma thought, but his body reacted differently. His hand slowly lifted from his lap and swept past Yuuki's hair letting it rest on her smooth neck. Yuuki's arm wound their way up his firm chest and her fingers entwined in his hair pulling his face closer to hers. Yuuki was in turmoil.

_I shouldn't be doing this to him. I need to stop this… but it's nice to be kissed again… gently, to be actually cared for. Gosh, I am such a bitch I'm hurting him…_

At the same time his internal battle was still ongoing…

_This HAS to stop __NOW__… but I like it. I don't want to stop, but do I really want to risk Kaname's friendship? No…_

Reluctantly, he gently lowered his hand to her shoulder and pushed them apart.

"Yuuki… I… we." Ichijou stammered.

"Takuma, I know. I'm sorry." Yuuki murmured, cringing and moving away from him. "I don't know what came over me."

"It's… It's ok, Yuuki." he assured her. "I didn't exactly stop myself. I wouldn't have stopped but I can't do that to Kaname, no matter what you think. He's my best friend."

She only nodded. "Can we at least try and pretend that it never happened? I still want to be friends."

"Of course." Takuma assured her.

A few days later.

Hugging Rima affectionately, Yuuki whispered into her ear so quietly that only Rima would hear. "I'll get you to kiss him sometime soon, don't worry."

Rima smiled and shook her head "Still as evil as ever I see."

"Absolutely." Yuuki grinned back.

"Yuuki-sama, I wish you would come with us!" Aidou pouted.

"I would but I have university to attend… unfortunately. I'll come and visit soon." Yuuki promised.

"Really?" he asked.

"As soon as physically possible." Yuuki nodded, and reached to give him a quick peck on the cheek. He blushed furiously.

"He'll be gloating about that for ages you know." Akatsuki sighed, exasperated.

"Hell yes." Yuuki whispered back "I had to give you all some way of remembering my good side."

Kain grinned at her, and Yuuki turned to Ruka who smiled warmly. "Be _good _Ruka" Yuuki warned.

"Aren't I always?" she grinned and hugged Yuuki.

Yuuki walked back in Rima's direction but rather than stopping she walked straight past and stopped in front of the young brunette slouching against the doorframe. "Don't think you can hide it from me, Senri Shiki, you might fool her but I know the truth and I'll tell her soon if you don't." she whispered.

She looked up at him and he stared back at her, wide eyed in shock. "What…how did you…" he stammered.

Yuuki grinned when her hypothesis had been proven true. "I have my sources." she replied at a normal tone.

Finally, she turned to the person she had been least looking forward to saying goodbye to; Takuma Ichijou.

"Thank you for letting me stay, I had a great time." she whispered, as she hugged him tightly, wrapping her arms affectionately around his neck and burying her face into his collarbone. He gently wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her close.

"Anytime, Yuuki." he whispered back.

Pulling away, she turned to the nobles who had become her friends over the past few days. "I'll miss you, in a weird way… even you Hanabusa." everyone laughed at her and she picked up her overnight bag from her feet. Takuma opened the front door for her and she walked out onto the cold street. The sun was high in the sky but the temperature was low. Yuuki shivered slightly and began to walk down the steps.

"When are you leaving again?" Yuuki asked over her shoulder

"In an hour, Hanabusa still needs to pack his stuff up." Akatsuki answered and Yuuki chuckled.

Yuuki turned and pulled the taxi door open. Takuma was closest and placed a hand near hers on the taxi door.

"Are you sure you won't come with us?" he asked softly, without any real hope.

"No. Sorry." she smiled regretfully "I can't."

"I know. Bye, Yuuki." he murmured and kissed her on the head.

Kain had his arm around Ruka's shoulders and she had his around his waist. Yuuki's smile faltered a little as she knew this loving moment between them would not be continued at the academy. Aidou was leaning against the stone railing, sulking.

"Smile, Hanabusa, I'm not going to be away for long." Yuuki called.

His faced pulled up into a crooked smile. "Anyway, your fans are waiting." Yuuki reminded him and his face perked up instantly.

Looking further up, Yuuki saw Rima and Shiki hovering in the doorway, not wanting to come out into the sunlight in case it damaged their skin.

"Shiki?" Yuuki shouted, and he looked up from the floor. "Remember what I told you!" she grinned, then turned to Rima who was giving them both a suspicious look.

"You owe me one." was all Yuuki gave away as she smiled. Yuuki sighed and climbed into the taxi, giving her address to the driver and rolling the window down.

"Do your worst for me." she shouted from the inside of the car.

"Everyday!" they all assured her, grinning.

She waved sadly as the taxi drove away from the townhouse and turned in her seat to look out of the back window. Aidou had already retreated inside, Ruka and Kain were half way up the steps, but Ichijou was still waving from the pavement. Yuuki blew him a quick kiss and she saw him smile at her.

The taxi then rounded a corner and she lost sight of them all. She was suddenly sad; now was the time for her to return to her boring everyday life, where she had to struggle everyday to protect who she was from those around her. Yuuki sighed and settled into the seat, staring at the passing city out of the window.

Twenty minutes later she pulled up in front of the familiar building where she lived. She passed some money to the driver, grabbed her bag and got out, slamming the door before he drove off. Yuuki took a deep breath and began walking, hoping with all her might that she would not run into him.

She took one sweep of the foyer before entering, making sure he wasn't there. It seemed he wasn't so she walked calmly in towards the front desk beside the entrance, where a man sat, sorting through some papers. He looked up, and smiled widely at Yuuki.

"Miss Cross!" the old receptionist exclaimed. "I haven't seen you in a while, where have you been?"

"Hi Len." Yuuki smiled. "I've been staying with some friends for a while. Do I have any mail?"

"Oh yes you do actually. A couple of bills I think, and rent as usual, but there is something from your father there too."

"Oh thanks, Len." Yuuki beamed, before grabbing the letters that he was offering her. "How's Keiko? Has she had the baby yet?" Yuuki asked politely.

"Two weeks ago. A baby girl named Sakura." he informed her proudly.

The smile on his face was contagious and Yuuki was grinning too. "That's great! When you see her, give her my congratulations, would you?"

"Of course, Miss Cross." Len agreed.

"Well, I'll be seeing you, better get home and tidy up." Yuuki grimaced, making Len laugh.

"Goodbye, Miss Cross." Len waved .

Yuuki smiled back and walked in the direction of the elevator, but before she had made it halfway across the tiled floor, the elevator doors opened. Even from her distance Yuuki instantly recognised the figure instantly and Yuuki felt her stomach plummet as she froze in her place.

Sara Shirabuki still hadn't left yet. She was standing in the empty elevator apparently on the phone with her back to the door with her free hand holding down the open button. Luckily she hadn't noticed Yuuki yet.

Yuuki could hear Sara's half of the conversation from this distance…

"I don't care what you think, daddy, I can't take this anymore. We're both miserable. He won't talk to me. What do you mean it doesn't matter? It matters to me. I've decided I'm giving up. Yes, daddy, giving up! I'm coming to see you so that we can sort out this mess. When? Now! He'll drop me off and pick me up before we leave…."

Yuuki could tell that conversation was coming to an end and suddenly realised that Sara would see her if she remained frozen in her current position. Scanning the room she considered hiding behind the desk and the palm tree in the corner, but her eyes fell on the stairs sign.

_I will not climb sixteen flights of stairs! I'll walk to the next floor and get the elevator from there. _

Yuuki bolted to the swinging door covering the stairwell and immediately pulled the door shut, peering out throught the glass in the door. Sara was half-way across the foyer still on the phone, walking towards the door. Yuuki followed her to the doors and she froze when she saw him.

Kaname Kuran.

He was standing by the door outside the main entrance, staring straight at her. Yuuki couldn't move… couldn't even breathe. He did not move either; he just stood there, staring at her through the glass whilst she hid in the stairwell. He still looked as divinely gorgeous as he ever did; although the vision was slightly marred by his stunned expression. He blinked and Yuuki felt herself jolt back into reality. She closed her eyes and shook her head violently before turning away from his gaze and beginning to run up the stairs. He was there, so close. She could go to him if she wanted…

_No! _Yuuki screamed at her self. _I can't do that to myself again. I won't. He's with her. He WANTS to be with her. Then again… what was with her conversation with her dad all about? _

Pondering the meaning behind Sara's words, Yuuki began to climb three flights of stairs to the next floor. Stumbling throught the doors, she made her way to the elevator, still in a daze. When the elevator doors clanged open Yuuki managed to bring herself out of her sea of thought and began looking through the pile of letters still in her hand.

Len had been right; lots of bills, rent reminders and a letter saying she had won a car… again. She still hadn't claimed the last one. The doors opened as she arrived on her floor and only one letter remained unopened. Realising she did not have her key again, Yuuki absentmindedly walked to Unoki's front door and pulled the key from its hiding place. Deciding it was not worth another visit from her over-persistent neighbour she unlocked her door and returned the key to its original place. Unoki would never know.

Yuuki walked in and dumped her bag on the floor, removing her jacket and throwing it on the sofa. Yori was nowhere to be seen.

_Probably with Jamie… again. _She thought.

Yuuki tossed the junk mail and bills onto the coffee table and flipped the unopened envelope over in her hand. Sure enough the scruff handwriting on the front belonged to her father, but Yuuki could think of no reason for the sudden wish for contact; it had been three months since they last talked on the phone and five months since they had seen one and other.

Confused, Yuuki ripped the envelope open and removed the contents before dropping the envelope. Written on the most elegant paper Yuuki had ever seen was the most shocking news she could think of. She ran her eyes over the neat, elegant writing and her eyes widened with shock; her mouth hung open in disbelief. Suddenly, she grinned and her face produced an ecstatic smile. She re-read the invitations once more but continued grinning widely to herself.

** Yuuki Cross**

_You are formally invited to:_

**Cross manor**

_On:_

**26****th**** August **

_To celebrate to engagement of:_

**Zero Kiryuu to Akira Sato**

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**WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!! You finished...gold star!!! smiley face =D**

**Hope you enjoyed it. I may have some trouble updating for a while...exams and shit so my free time has completely gone down the drain but i get a new laptop soon which works faster so i can write more. If anyone has any ideas...i totally appreciate all of them. **

**Write you in the next chapter!! Review now please...go ...go now...merci beaucoup!!!! **

**Toya xx**

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	10. Chapter 10

Authors note: OH MY GOD!!!! I'M SO SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's taken me forever to update and i really didn't mean to. It's just that with school and everything, you know exams, coursework and loads of other shit that i wish i could just burn and never set eyes on again, i didn't get time to write. I am really really sorry. That's why this chapter is kinda long. Not as long as the last one but still pretty long and if you all forgive me and i get a few review i might update sometime this week. I've nearly finished the next chapter.

Anyhoo hope you like it. It's taken long enough to write and publish i hope you aren't angry at me. Flame all you wish i deserve it :'( sorry everyone.

Enjoy mes amis!!!Chapter 10: Revelations. OOOHHH!!! I NEARLY FORGOT. THIS IS SLIGHT OOC ON KANAMES PART I KNOW HE WOULD NEVER HURT YUUKI BUT I NEED HIM TO FOR THIS STORY OK SORRY!!!!!!!!!!!

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"Oh for heaven's sake where the hell did I put it?" Yuuki screamed from inside her bedroom.

Down the hall a very tired looking Sayori Wakaba sighed and hesitantly hoisted herself off the sofa as she staggered down the hall way towards Yuuki's bedroom. Cautiously peering inside, Yori ducked out of the way as a heap of white material that was her bed sheets shot out of the doorframe and landed on the floor.

"What are you doing Yuuki?" Yori asked, frowning.

She stared into the large bedroom which Yuuki occupied. The usual clean floor was covered in clothes, make-up, hair products and appliances, bed covers and pillows. Also sticking out from under the bed was a jean clad pair of legs, belonging to Yuuki.

"I had them yesterday..." she grumbled, barely audibly. "They can't have gotten far…"

Yori walked slowly into the room and dropped carelessly onto the stripped mattress. Rubbing her head tentatively, she closed her eyes in a grimace and moved closer to Yuuki's half covered form.

Yuuki attempted to sit up but inadvertently forgot that she was under the bed and whacked her head on the wooden frame.

"Stupid fucking thing!" she cursed loudly. "Sorry, Yori-chan, I forgot you had a headache."

"Lucky for some…" Yori replied harshly, gingerly rubbing her forehead.

"Oi!" Yuuki scolded. "Don't get all shirty with me; it isn't my fault you didn't crawl in 'til two when you knew we had to be up early for this."

"True. But I wasn't the one up at the crack of dawn making the loudest racket ever because I forgot to pack." she hissed again, closing her eyes and collapsing onto the bed.

"I did not forget to pack." Yuuki replied, for the sixth time that morning. "I just left a few things lying around."

Yori nodded but still had a disbelieving look on her face. She groaned and raised her upper body off of the bed. "What are you looking for now?"

"My sunglasses..." she began, hesitantly. "...and my ticket." she whispered the last bit so quietly that Yori blinked four times before she could process the information.

"Yuuki, please tell me you're kidding." she pleaded.

"I would love to… but I'm not." Yuuki braced herself for the onslaught.

"Yuuki, we have to leave soon!" Yori reminded her, beginning to show signs of panic.

"Don't you think I know that?" Yuuki shouted, making Yori flinch. "The plane leaves in an hour and a half. Jamie will be here in ten minutes and even if he drives over the speed limit we'll be lucky to make it there in time. I'm not stupid; I know we're late."

"Yuuki–" Yori interrupted, but Yuuki was not listening.

"Zero's engagement party is in a week, and everything is closed for the holiday so we can't take another plane but if we don't show up Akira will literally kill me...." Yuuki's rant seemed never ending.

"_Yuuki!"_ Yori shouted, finally catching her friends' attention, stopping her mid-sentence.

"Yes?" Yuuki asked timidly.

"Your sunglasses? They are black, aren't they" she enquired.

"Yes…"

"With a little silver heart on them?"

"Yes…" Yuuki replied again, looking and sounding annoyed

"They're on your vanity table, on top of your ticket." Yori finished.

Yuuki's eyebrows pulled together in confusion. Slowly she turned to look on the table behind and her and, sure enough, the ticket and her glasses were there.

"Whoops." she grinned sheepishly. Yori just rolled her eyes and got off the bed.

"Get your stuff together and put them by the front door. Jamie will be here any minute." And with that quick reminder, she walked out of the door.

Yori and Jamie had been out the previous night celebrating six week anniversary. Yori had finally staggered in at two o'clock in the morning, blind drunk and intent on waking the entire apartment building. When Yuuki had _finally_ been able to crawl back into her bed and get to sleep it was almost three. Yuuki was up at six making sure she had everything; including her box of blood tablets which had remained hidden from Yori. It was hard for Yuuki to keep secrets from her best friend. After asking about it a hundred and one times Yori had finally given up, but Yuuki knew it still bothered her.

As Yuuki's mind wandered to her friend she felt a pang of sadness consume her. All too soon Yori and Jamie would be gone from Yuuki's life whilst she spent the rest of her long life miserable and alone. Yuuki cast her saddened eyes to the floor and her eyes fell on one black PVC thigh high boot. In a flash she was reliving the memory of Aidou's party. His breath on her neck, his hands on her waist… The feeling of the sleek, black metal of his car pressed into her back…

The way his eyes bored into hers, which made her feel like he could see into her very soul.

Shaking her head in an attempt to clear her head of the masochistic thoughts she was subjecting herself to, she cast her eyes around the room only for them to rest on the bag hanging on her closet door, which contained a very beautiful, elegant strapless lilac dress. Once again she fell into her memories of him. The seconds past quickly as she was reminded of the way his lips felt against her skin, how much pleasure she took from inhaling his intoxicating scent.

Then, of course, there were the memories of the days that followed. Waking up and seeing him lying there, looking so serene; so peaceful. Through the silence that echoed around her mind a clear voice broke through. It was a beautiful yet harmful pastime that Yuuki was unsure as to whether she should shy away or embrace it.

"_I'm engaged." _

Those two little words had caused her so much pain, yet she could not forget them. Or him. Yuuki unconsciously fell to the floor and a small sob escaped her lips as she fought to restrain the angry tears that threatened to fall down her cheeks.

"Yuuki?" someone asked tenderly from behind her.

The sudden voice shocked Yuuki into reality and the pools of water within her eyes ceased to be. Yuuki had taught herself in the time away from_ him_ not to cry in front of the others. They did not deserve to share in her pain and she was not in the mood for pity.

Clearing her throat in a vain attempt to hide the sorrow within them, Yuuki looked up into the concerned eyes of her best friend.

"Yeah?" she replied, praying she sounded calm and controlled.

"Jamie's outside. We need to get going." Yori's eyebrows were tilted in compassion and her tender eyes screamed at Yuuki, willing her to talk about her feelings but Yuuki knew that talking about it would mean another restless night's sleep and needless tears.

"Oh yeah, gomen." she murmured, before grabbing her bag and ticket. She placed the sunglasses over her eyes. Since it was practically the middle of summer the sun was blinding; give or take a few weeks. Whilst normal humans lap up the rays, sunbathing, the increase in light intensity was wreaking havoc on Yuuki's eyes. The sunglasses also served to cover the prominent, dark, bruise like circles forming on Yuuki's face due to lack of sleep over the past few weeks.

Taking one final glance in the mirror, Yuuki straightened her top and brushed her fringe out of her eyes before heading to the front door. Yori was in the kitchen shouting instructions through to Jamie.

"Mine are the blue ones!" she called.

Jamie muttered darkly under his breath and Yuuki managed to catch a few words. _Bloody woman packs way too much… _before he hauled Yori's heavy suitcase out of the door and towards the elevator.

At that exact moment Yori came rushing through the living room like a hurricane picking up stray rubbish and straightening the mirror and magazines on the table. The room was spotless; thanks to her recent blast of obsessive cleaning. Yuuki shook her head and bent to pick up her own blood red suitcase. It was half the size of Yori's, but Yuuki knew that she had packed at least six more outfits than her, mainly because Yuuki was staying for a week longer than Yori.

Yuuki picked up her keys and mobile which she tucked into the front pocket of her jeans and scanned quickly for any other things she may need for the trip. She gasped and ran to the desk before hastily picking up her yellow iPod and shoving it into her other pocket. Satisfied that she had everything she needed, Yuuki turned and made her way out the door. When she reached the door frame Yori spoke to her in a gentle voice.

"Yuuki, you can't keep blocking out the memories…"

Yuuki froze on the spot and stared blankly at the wall. Had she really been that obvious?

"I've been your best friend for years; I know what goes on in your head. You miss him. I know you do. Pushing away what happened won't make it any easier for you. Yuuki, you should go and talk to him. I know you want to." her voice was filled with concern and pity but Yuuki just shook her head.

"You're wrong." was all she said.

Walking out of the room Yuuki halted at the elevator where Jamie was currently on the floor with Yori's suitcase on top of him. Stifling a giggle Yuuki dropped her own suitcase and offered Jamie a hand.

"Need help, Superman?" she teased.

"Please!" he wheezed.

Faking effort, Yuuki pulled the suitcase off him and grabbed his hand, pulling him off the floor.

"I honestly don't know what she packs in there…" he muttered darkly.

Yuuki laughed, but it wasn't natural. Yori's words had sparked ideas in her mind and she was fighting the urge to talk to Ka…_him_. She didn't dare even think his name let alone speak it for she knew that even something so small would shake her already fragile emotional status. Jamie pressed the button for the elevator, but it didn't light up.

"What's wrong with this thing?" Jamie moaned, and pressed it again; agitated "If I have to drag that god forsaken suitcase down all those stairs I'll strangle her."

He stomped off down the hall and picked up the in-building phone. Dialling the maintenance room, Yuuki used her heightened senses to listen in to the conversation.

"Hello?" the man answered.

"Hi, we're on the 16th floor and the elevator isn't coming. Do you know what's wrong?" Jamie rushed quickly, trying to explain calmly but just sounding pissed off.

"Gomen-nasai. It appears we've encountered a technical difficulty; we'll try and fix it as soon as possible but in the mean time try to make yourself comfortable. It should be done in about five minutes, maybe less." he explained.

Yuuki's vision became clouded as she was pulled back into her memories for the third time, until she was seeing a time when those exact words had last been spoken to her.... His lust filled eyes as he leaned down to press his lips to hers. The hasty way her fingers unfastened the buttons of his shirt, exposing the most exquisite body Yuuki had seen. The quick, passionate way his lips darted left and right across her collar bone. Running her hands through his luscious hair. Gasping out loud and breathing heavily Yuuki returned to the present and found that she was trembling. Suppressing the tears that had surged forth once more and, concentrating on not falling to pieces right then, Yuuki refocused on Jamie's now finished conversation.

Jamie thanked the man through gritted teeth and slammed the receiver back into place.

"We might be stuck here for a while." he grimaced. "Where's Yori?"

Yuuki glanced at her watch and inwardly groaned when she saw the time. Their plane would be leaving in fifty minutes. She was going to have to drive.

"Jamie? I'm driving." she announced.

Jamie frowned and asked why. Yuuki tapped her watch and Jamie checked his.

"Holy shit!" he cried, and ran off to find Yori.

"I'm taking the stairs. Meet you down there." she called after him.

Picking up her suitcase she hurried off towards the stairs. She barged through the swinging doors. Looking down over the railing she saw the ground floor in the distance.

_Let's play a game _she thought

Swinging her suitcase in front of her she allowed it to hang in front of her for a second. As if in slow motion she let go and watched it fall down the gap between the stairs. After three feet she took dived down the stairs after it. Using her inhumane speed she darted round and round in circles, down sixteen flights of stairs. The scenery became a blur and the steps seemed to melt into one as she sprinted down them, gracefully. Yuuki realised she was smiling and her mind tried to remember the last time she had ran like this. Just for fun. Concluding that it was not lately, she shook her head incredulously at herself. Running made her feel free and invigorated.

Yuuki chanced a look up and saw that her suitcase was only six feet above her. Cringing, she pushed herself to her limits. Running as fast as she could she reached the ground floor and positioned herself where her suitcase would land. She was only waiting ten seconds before the flying red object landed with a loud _thud_ in her arms. Panting slightly, she grinned in triumph. She quickly looked down to give herself the once over. She did _not_ want to look at if she had just walked through a thundering windstorm. _Yuuki was wearing a pair of navy high heels with grey skinny jeans. Hastily rearranging the navy blouse, she loosened the top buttons, exposing a little skin. The ruffles served to emphasize her flat stomach yet the baggy material skimmed her curves, and tightened around her wrists. _Yuuki ran her fingers through her hair and fluffed it a little before stepping into the foyer.

Somewhere to her left a bell clanged and Yuuki heard the elevator doors slide open noisily.

"We're going to be here for ages waiting for her to get down those stairs." Yori hissed "Why didn't you tell her to wait?"

Jamie was also hissing; the stressful morning had put them both in a bad mood "Because I was looking for you."

"I was coming, you should have just waited."

"I'll keep that in mind next time." he retorted sarcastically.

"Guys, guys!" Yuuki called, and both their heads snapped up as they looked over at her "I'm here, so _chill_!"

Both Yori and Jamie looked relieved and they made their way over to her.

"I'll go get the car." Yuuki shouted, and the grumbling pair followed behind her, dragging Yori's bags.

The usher's mouth hung open when Yuuki walked towards him. She looked like a runway model. The light reflected off her sunglasses and as she walked her hair bounced off her shoulders. He watched her every move and couldn't seem to be able to move fast enough to cater to her needs. Yuuki smiled slightly to herself. Her beauty came in useful for something.

As the usher climbed out of Jamie's car, Yuuki thanked him and handed him her bag. It was comical the way he practically dropped to the floor when Yuuki let go of the bag. Slowly he heaved the suitcase into the back of the car. As Yuuki climbed in to the driver's seat, Yori and Jamie emerged from the main building, struggling with the luggage.

"Could you help them please? We're kind of in a hurry." The usher nodded and Yuuki smiled apologetically at him. With the usher's help Jamie managed to fit everyone's luggage into the trunk of his car.

"Shotgun!" Yori shouted.

"No fair, it's my car. I don't even get to drive." Jamie wailed loudly.

"Well yes, but Yuuki drives a hell of a lot faster than you do and we have about thirty-five minutes to get to the airport before the plane leaves." Yori smiled devilishly at him and Jamie grudgingly climbed into the back seat of the car. When all the doors were shut Yuuki's heel hit the gas pedal and they shot away from the building. The usual hour long journey to Tokyo airport took less than twenty minutes, thanks to Yuuki's insane driving. Due to some higher power there was hardly any traffic, so they managed to slide along the roads at breakneck speed without getting caught up in early morning traffic. For that they were all thankful.

Parking in the secure parking zone where Jamie's car would spend the next week, they all piled out and rushed to grab their luggage, before locking up and heading towards the terminal.

Luck was definitely on their side when they got to customs. There was no queue and their check went through without any setbacks. They ran through the airport and found their departure lounge.

Panting, the three of them all looked at the clock simultaneously, grinning when they saw that they had ten minutes until take off.

"I. Need. _Caffeine_." Yuuki gasped, and the other two laughed before they made their way over to a coffee shop and each bought something to keep them occupied. As a loud voice echoed around the hall announcing that their plane was boarding they rose from their table and went towards the doors. Yuuki smiled to herself and looked around the airport. Everything was so busy here. It reminded her off her own life. Chaotic and stressful, but fun.

"What are you smiling about?" Jamie asked suspiciously. Ever since Yuuki had hit him on the head with a flying rock Jamie had questioned every single one of Yuuki's smiles, automatically thinking it involved another sinister plan to injure him.

"I haven't seen Zero in ages. It will be nice to catch up." she explained, whilst shrugging.

Yori smiled too and they made their way onto the plane.

They found their seats easily enough and sat chatting while the plane went through the pre-flight preparations. The take off was uneventful and when they reached cruising altitude Yuuki pulled out her iPod and she flicked to the shuffle songs function. The first song that came on was 'Home' by 'Michael Bublé'. Listening to the lyrics, Yuuki found herself reminiscing about her childhood and she realised just how much she missed her home and the life she had led. She was not bitter about her reawakening, but living life as a human had been so much simpler and now, more than ever, she wished for a simple life. Staring aimlessly out the window, Yuuki could not fight her eyelids as they closed and her mind went black.

"Yuuki?" someone whispered, and a hand gently shook her shoulder. "Yuuki wake up, we've landed."

"Huh?" Yuuki groggily asked, before slowly opening her eyes.

Sure enough Yori and Jamie were standing above her in the aisle waiting for her to get up. Searching the surrounding area she noticed that they were the last three people on the plane, except the hostess, who was impatiently checking her watch every few seconds and shooting annoyed looks at Yuuki.

"Oops!" she whispered, before diving for her bag; hastily getting out of her seat. Yori and Jamie just smiled at her, teasing their friend; not annoyed at all. Childishly, Yuuki stuck her tongue out at them, and they laughed. Apparently their bad mood from that morning had worn off.

Stepping into the air conditioned arrival section of the small airport, Yuuki glanced round in anticipation. Sure enough, standing extremely still and looking very authoritative if not slightly awkward, stood two men. They were both wearing a flat cap and dark sunglasses. They were human; Yuuki could sense from their scent, but they were more dignified compared to the loud, obnoxious students crowding the airport on their way home. Yuuki took the lead and casually strolled towards the two men.

"Miss Cross-sama." they acknowledged, and bowed to her when she approached. "Your father sent us; we have a car waiting for you."

Yuuki just nodded at them. "Not wanting to sound rude or anything, but why is there two of you if there is only one car?"

"Chairman Cross explained to us how much luggage Miss Wakaba-san brought on your last visit and he advised that more than one person would be beneficiary."

Yuuki could not help but grin when she heard Yori shuffle and cough uncomfortably. Turning, she saw that Jamie was silently gaffing, and Yori was an impressive shade of crimson that Yuuki would have been proud of.

"Let's go get the luggage then." Yuuki motioned, and Yori stormed off to the baggage collection without another word. Jamie walked after her, slower than usual, thanks to his uncontrollable laughter. Yuuki shook her head at her best friends and wandered over to another crowded section of the airport.

It took ten minutes for Jamie's bag to finally arrive, even after Yuuki and Yori had theirs. Casually, Yuuki, Yori and Jamie walked outside the airport terminal and found that a sleek, white car was waiting for them. Well, they assumed it was for them when the chauffeurs popped open the trunk and reached for Yori's blue suitcase. Between the pair of them they managed to neatly store her case within a minute and reached for Yuuki's and Jamie's. Yuuki smiled thankfully at the man who Yuuki assumed was in his mid-thirties, and most definitely human, handing over her own red bag. Once all three suitcases were safely in the trunk Jamie took a step back and admired the car. Letting out a long, whistle of approval he turned to the man climbing in the driver's seat of the car.

"Nice car, man." he nodded.

The driver grinned "Thank you, sir."

"What model is it?" Jamie enquired, not taking his eyes off the hunk of metal whilst Yuuki shook her head laughing and Yori climbed into the car, smiling at the man holding the door for her.

"I believe it is the dodge avenger, sir. The chairman requested I take this car, his other ones stand out a bit." he grinned again, and Jamie nodded his head in silent approval. His eyes were the size of plates and were practically popping out of his head.

"Jamie, if you get in the car now, I'll let you drive my car when we get to my house." Yuuki offered, but Jamie scoffed.

"Why would I want to drive your beat up Peugeot?"

Yuuki narrowed her eyes at him and he stared back.

"For your information Jamie, that is my city car, here at home I have three cars and I was going to let you drive my Aston but if you don't want to then I suppose me and Yori can go" she sneered

Jamie's jaw dropped "The new Aston Martin?" he questioned

"Yeah the DB9 Fiorano, only got it last Christmas." Yuuki replied, smiling as she figured Jamie was close to folding.

"Colour?"

"Red, of course." Yuuki grinned.

"Deal!" he announced, clambering into the car without another word, seating himself in the spacious backseat between Yori and the gap where Yuuki was meant to be sitting.

Giggling and shaking her head, again, Yuuki climbed into the car and pulled the door shut whilst the second chauffeur ran round the car and climbed into the passenger side.

"We will arrive at your mansion in about an hour, Yuuki-sama. You may wish to contact your father and tell him." he advised. Yuuki nodded and pulled her phone out of her pocket and dialled her father's number.

_Ring! Ring!_

"_Yellow?" a cheery voice answered_

"_Hey dad...it's Yuuki." she replied. _

It would be another ten minutes before Yuuki could talk again. The time was filled with the happy rants of a crazed man who hadn't seen his daughter in a long time. In the end Yuuki put her phone on loud speaker and the whole car laughed as his voice filled the air around them.

"...Oh Yuuki, my little princess I have missed you so, so, so, so, so, so, so, so, much!!! I'm never letting you go again. You're coming back to Cross Academy. You are not going back to that dreadful city. You can't leave your old dad on his own again. Oh, I am so happy you called Yuuki; I so badly want to see you! Never do that again. If I ever do let you go... which is highly unlikely... you have to call me every day and visit every two weeks. I don't care if you have work your daddy is so much more important..."

"Dad?" Yuuki shouted through her giggles, but he didn't seem to hear her.

"...oh and Zero too. He's leaving me as well. Akira is stealing him away from me. Soon I'll be all alone. What did I ever do to deserve this? Why must everyone leave me!" his voice sounded tearful, so Yuuki tried once again to intervene.

"_DAD!!"_ she shouted directly into the headset.

The sobbing came to an abrupt stop and the chairman's voice sounded annoyed.

"Really, Yuuki was there any need to shout? You could have just said." he scolded, and everyone laughed.

"We're about forty-five minutes away from the house." she informed him

"Really?" he asked hopefully.

"Really, really." she assured him, sounding like a mother comforting her child.

"_Yuuki!"_ he squealed "That's wonderful. I have to tell everyone!" and without another word he hung up, leaving Yuuki looking astonished, whilst Jamie, Yori and the two men chauffeuring them clutched their sides with laughter.

"Your dad is _awesome_." Jamie gasped.

"Hardly." Yuuki sighed. "He's completely off his rocker."

This made them all laugh even more, but once they had finished, they fell into a comfortable silence as they left the city and drove through the never-ending countryside that made up Japan. The sky was a huge expanse of light blue. Dotted here and there were fluffy, white clouds. As Yuuki stared out the window she could not help but smile.

_Soon I'll be home… _she thought and her smile spread further.

They past quaint little villages, field upon fields of rice and green grass, wide expanses of nothing but trees. They drove through quiet country lanes lines with trees of green, red and pink. The leaves fell from their high branches and scattered over the car and windscreen. It was beautiful. The ground scrunched underneath the car and Yuuki found herself calm and peaceful.

As they left the trees and found themselves on a long, concrete road leading into another small village near her hometown Yuuki started to get excited. She had missed home so much in her time away and now she was less than half an hour away. The driver stopped at a stop sign (A/N: really?? never!!!!) and Yuuki saw her eyes reflected in the window; a deep chocolate brown that never seemed to end. Although others had told her she was beautiful, she had never really seen what they saw, but she found that she loved her eyes; ones that seemed to go deep into her soul. Focusing on the sights outside the car Yuuki saw the wide, toothless grin of an old rice worker on the other side of the glass. He seemed awestruck by the car and his eyes sparkled with curiosity and excitement. Yuuki grinned back and, even though she knew he could not see her through the tinted glass of the car windows, waved at him. The old man grinned wider and as the car pulled away.

Yuuki couldn't help but marvel at the fact that although her country was the most technologically advance in the world, there were still some parts untouched by metal and machinery. Yuuki smiled silently and she continued like that until they reached the small town one mile away from her home.

"Yuuki?" Jamie asked, interrupting the silence.

"Hmm…?" Yuuki replied, not taking her eyes away from the window. Tall buildings slid by one by one as they drew closer to the academy.

"Will the vampires be there?" he whispered.

Yuuki twisted in her seat so fast she was a blur. She breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that Yori was asleep, wrapped in Jamie's arms. The drivers were no problem because they worked for her father and so knew her secret. She looked into Jamie's eyes and saw nothing but curiosity.

"I'm not sure… they might turn up for a few hours, but it's not my party remember?" she giggled, in what she hoped was a calm tone but she cringed when she say Jamie frown. "What?" she asked him.

"It's nothing, really. Erm..." he hesitated, and Yuuki could sense that what he was about to say was really difficult for him. "Wh...Why...d-do they call you Yuuki-sama?" he stammered.

Yuuki's heart fell. Jamie knew, or at least had suspicions. Damn him for having vampire friends! Would he tell Yori? Would she hate her?

"Jamie...." she started, but she was interrupted.

"I don't mind!" he rushed. "Really, I don't care that you're a... vam..._vampire."_ he whispered. "I just don't want to see Yori get hurt."

Yuuki nodded, but didn't smile. Busted.

"I won't say a word." he assured her, and one look in his eyes told Yuuki that he meant it.

"Thank you." she murmured, as Yori began to stir. Jamie smiled warmly at her.

Yori mumbled something and sat up, looking dazed, her hair sticking up on end. Jamie laughed before smoothing it down and gently kissing her forehead. Yori smiled and shut her eyes again.

"We're here, Yuuki-sama." the driver said, as his colleague opened Yuuki's door.

Yuuki took a deep breath and got out of the car. Holding the frame gently she took in the sight before her. She was looking up a huge set of stairs that ascended a steep hill in front of her. Atop the stairs was a magnificent oak door, hundreds of years old, set in a hard stone wall that surrounded the academy. The turrets and battlements were covered in ivy and roses. But before Yuuki could completely welcome her home she heard a very loud, very excited squeak.

"_YUUUUUUUKIIIIIIIII!!!_" it shouted, and before Yuuki could brace herself or avoid it, she was tackled to the floor by a 5"3, blond haired, sprite of a woman that was Akira Sato.

"Good to see you too, Akira-chan." Yuuki gasped, from the muffles of Akira's chest.

The girl got up off the ground and held a hand to pull Yuuki from the floor too, which she happily accepted.

Standing in front of Yuuki was a small yet beautiful girl with long, white blonde hair that shimmered like the gloss on a magazine cover. Her flushed, thin face held a huge grin and her violet eyes sparkled with happiness and love. She was wearing a white summer dress which was decorated with violet dots that matched her eyes; around her waist was a thick belt, also violet which was fastened at the front with a white butterfly broach. Her hair was pulled from her eyes by a violet hair band which contrasted with the paleness of her hair. She wasn't wearing shoes.

"Akira, why aren't you wearing shoes?" Yuuki asked, confused.

"This is the first time I've been on my feet since I woke up!" she grinned.

Yuuki frowned in confusion "Why?"

Akira laughed and stuck her tongue out between her teeth while grinning "Your brother refused to put me down…"

"Then how did you get dressed?" Yuuki questioned, naively.

Akira wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and Yuuki groaned "Eww, _Gross!_ Did you have to? I mean, come on! I'm innocent. You're the evil one. I shouldn't be hearing such things."

"Aw, shut up Yuuki! Stop being immature, and anyway I know that you aren't so innocent…" she claimed, Yuuki scowled.

"What?"

"Oh, Yori-chan has been keeping me updated. Couldn't keep your hands off the goods even if they were taken, eh? Tut, tut, Yuuki I'm ashamed." her tone was teasing and her eyes shone with pride as if she was glad Yuuki was kissing another guy who already had a girlfriend.

"Wait! What? Yori?" she turned to the car, and Yori blushed before looking at her feet "Gomen-nasai, Yuuki-chan."

"Aww, _Yori_!! How could you? I'm never going to live this down! Oh my god! Did you say who it was? Please tell me you didn't! I'll die!" Yuuki bawled loudly, her face a picture of comical despair.

"Relax, Yuuki. That she wouldn't tell." Akira assured her, and Yuuki's eyes sparkled with hope. "That's for you to tell me later."

Yuuki's eyes widened and she violently shook her head "Na, uh! No freaking way!!" she spluttered.

"Whatever, Yuuki, you know you will." Akira stated, very matter-of-factly "Anyway looky, looky!" she squealed, and waved her left hand in front of Yuuki's face. Yuuki snapped out of her daze and grabbed Akira's hand before carefully admiring the ring on her finger.

"White gold." she informed Yuuki proudly. "Amethyst and diamonds. Don't you just love it?"

"I really do! It's gorgeous. You are very lucky." Yuuki said, smiling.

Akira's gaze lost its craziness and was replaced by love; powerful and sincere. Her whole face seemed to glow even though she was just thinking about her fiancé.

_Can't believe my brothers getting married… _Yuuki thought, disbelieving.

"Anyways, where is this beloved brother of mine?" Yuuki shouted.

"Right here." a deep voice replied from behind Yuuki.

Yuuki yelped in surprise and whirled round, loosing balance and almost falling, but managing to steady herself.

"Still a clumsy little girl, eh?" he teased.

"Still an annoying ass, I see." Yuuki mocked, and they both grinned.

Zero ran at Yuuki and Yuuki ran at Zero. They collided in the middle with a soft thump before the air was filled with joyous squeals as Zero picked Yuuki off the ground and swung her in circles. Akira, Yori and Jamie all smiled at the sight of them. Yuuki wrapped her arms tightly, lovingly around his neck and snuggled into the crook of his neck still giggling like a maniac. Zero was grinning more than he had done in a long time.

"I missed you, sis." he admitted.

"I missed you more, bro." she giggled.

He finally set her back on her feet and they grinned at each other. "Good to see you." they both uttered at the same time, causing them to burst into a fit of laughter.

"Do I get my fiancé back now?" Akira pouted.

Zero immediately looked guilty and practically ran to his fiancée and whisked her into his arm. She sniggered and clambered round his body until she had her arms and legs wrapped round his body and her smiling face resting on his broad shoulder, grinning to the world.

"Well, aren't we the happy couple?" Jamie commented and they both grinned again. It seemed as though the two of them never went for more than two minutes without grinning, for fear that their smiles would be erased forever.

"Hey guys." Zero greeted them, and cautiously extended a hand to Jamie whilst still keeping Akira perfectly balanced on his back. "Ouga? Hihara? Could you take their bags to the manor? The chairman wants a word with Yuuki before she settles in." the two men nodded and began to unpack the car.

"Yori-chan, Jamie-kun? You are free to explore the grounds and get settled in." they smiled thankfully. Yuuki only just noticed how worn out Yori looked and she frowned.

"What does dad want?" Yuuki asked.

Zero sighed before speaking. "First of all, he isn't my dad, he's yours…" he grinned while Yuuki shook her head. "…And I don't know; he said he needed to see you as soon as you got here, sounded pretty urgent too."

"Hmm…" Yuuki began suspiciously. "Where is he?"

"OH I KNOW! I KNOW! PICK ME!" Akira shouted, from Zero's shoulder bouncing up and down like a four year old on her father's back.

"Umm... Akira?" Yuuki picked, playing along.

"He's in the garden near the pond." she beamed, extremely proud of herself for her answer.

Yuuki nodded and thanked Akira before turning in the direction of the garden.

"Yuuki?" Zero called, and Yuuki turned. He was looking at her softly and kindly whilst Akira beamed silently, caught up in her own little world, on his back. "It's great to have you back. It's been almost boring without you around."

Yuuki smiled softly and began walking away from them.

Her footfalls were muffled by the leaves that were strewn over the gray stones of the footpath that led to a peaceful place. Yuuki had spent so much of her childhood wandering the grounds of the academy and this path was still so familiar to her after all these years. Eventually the path came to an end but still it continued. Only the sharp, rectangular path disappeared. It was replaced by eight large, circular rocks situated a foot apart from each other, needing a little jump to get across to the bridge. Keeping her eyes on the floor she gracefully hopped from each one to the next, humming quietly to herself; peaceful and content for once, happy to be home. Pausing on the fifth pebble (if it could be called a pebble) she looked towards the blue sky which was blocked by the red leaves of an old tree to her right. Ahead, she saw the partially obscured form of her father resting against the railings of a small, elegant little bridge hovering three feet above the smooth surface of the water. Hopping over the last few stones she gently and quietly landed on the pale wood of the bridge. She smiled to herself and sighed happily.

Turning to face her father, she froze in place because not only was her father happily watching her approach, but he was standing with a tall woman too. A tall woman with long, blonde hair. A tall woman with long, blonde hair who she happened to believe was a vindictive tramp.

"Sara?" she asked, completely astonished.

"Yuuki!" the chairman squealed in a high pitch voice. "You're here. You're home. Oh, I missed you!"

He bounded up to her and pulled her into a fierce hug. But Yuuki could not respond as her arms hung limply by her sides and she gazed curiously over her father's shoulder at the woman who she thought she would never see again. Standing in the shadow of the tree hanging over the bridge Yuuki could not help but notice how beautiful Sara was when she dressed casually. Her long hair was teased into tight curls which exploded from her scalp and cascaded down past her shoulders. She was wearing a red cowgirl top with the sleeves pushed up past her elbows and a pair of black skinny jeans as well as three inch red heels. She had the most interesting belt buckle. It was made of a dark metal which was painted red and laid on top of it was a skeleton with a cowboy hat and two guns crossing in front of him. It was spooky but cool at the same time.

"Shirabuki-san tells me she needs a word with you, Yuuki." the chairman informed her, smiling in Sara's direction.

He went to leave but stopped next to Yuuki's ear and whispered, "Do you want me to stay?"

Slowly, she shook her head. The movement was so tiny it was barely noticeable but she whispered back to him.

"Don't go far?" she pleaded, and he smiled and nodded before trudging away into the trees.

They both stood in silence for a while. Both were uncomfortable and awkward, avoiding the conversation that was inevitable, for as long as possible. Finally it became too much to bear and Yuuki broke the silence.

"You look good, Sara-san." she pointed out, purposefully.

"Arigatou, Yuuki-san, but I don't deserve your compliments." she rushed.

Yuuki stared at her wide-eyed and confused, so Sara continued.

"Listen, Yuuki-san, I came here today for a reason and it's hard for me to say. It's not because I don't want to, I need to… actually it would be so much better, no I came here because I need to explain something, and it's hard because I don't know how you'll react." she paused hesitantly, trying to explain the best she could.

Yuuki nodded her approval but her forehead creased into a frown. Sara smiled slightly and drew in a deep breath and began to speak.

"First of all, I want to apologise for the poison." she smiled reluctantly, but it was not from humour; she was uncomfortable and seeking reassurance.

"Sara..." Yuuki started, but Sara held up a hand to silence her.

"Please, Yuuki, can I talk? I need to say this." she pleaded, and Yuuki could do nothing but nod.

"That night Kaname…" Yuuki flinched at the name. "…that night Kaname asked the council of ancients for permission to break off our engagement, as he needed their permission due to the fact our pureblood marriage was organised a long time ago. I have come to realise that it was very selfish of me to accept their decision, and a lot of heartbreak could have been prevented if I had just said no, but I was selfish… Yuuki, can you understand that? The famous Kaname Kuran marrying into my family was an honour… and he's hot, you have to admit." they both grinned at each other, but quickly stopped and looked away. Yuuki could feel tears welling in her eyes. Long ago she had trained herself not to think or speak of him and now here she was having a conversation with his fiancée where the hot topic was him. It hurt. A lot.

"When he met you… he changed. It was hard to notice at first, because it was so slight. He would smile whenever we got into the elevator for some reason and always had a slight spring in his step. He was playful for a while. Then after about a week it died down and he went back to normal. Then there was the night of Hanabusa's party when I saw you two together. I was _so_ jealous." Yuuki blushed but did not interrupt as Sara looked close to tears.

"The way he looked at you and was holding you was in a way he's never done to me. I tried all night to make you angry at him for not telling you about me because I knew he hadn't…. the look on your face when I showed up explained it all. But you have to know he wasn't playing you. He wouldn't do that to _anyone_ let alone you. I think that he just forgot about me when he was with you." Yuuki snorted and Sara stopped, noticing her reaction. "I'm being serious, Yuuki. I knew he thought about you a hell of a lot. I'd find him in the kitchen with a goofy grin on his face, or smiling when he was trying to sleep. I tried to convince myself it was me he was thinking about but I couldn't… I knew it wasn't. It was you. The next day he went down to your apartment and whatever happened down there... well, I don't want to know but he came up and he seemed like a different person. He practically glowed with happiness and he constantly smiled; he even spoke to my father! He hardly ever talks to him. Things were changing then and I knew I couldn't stop them. Not to say I didn't try but I knew it was too late. That night he dreamt about you. Now you're thinking how the hell do I know right? Well… I woke up in the middle of the night needing a drink, so as I went for one I got to the bedroom door and he spoke. He said: _'No, Yuuki, don't leave.'_ and then smiled before cuddling a pillow." She smiled sadly, but looked Yuuki straight in the eyes. "At the party when I found out from one of the council members what he had asked, I couldn't help but see red. The poison I gave you was slow acting. A small amount would have killed you instantly, and looking back, I don't know why I did it. I really don't! Yes, I was jealous but does that justify murder? I don't think so. The way you downed that drink so quickly helped and hurt you. It got to work faster and so that you were nearly killed, but it passed so quickly because it only touched you for a limited amount of time. I was seething when I got home but it was nothing compared to how Kaname must have felt. I slept at my friends that night because every time I looked at him I think I wanted to die. He looked so angry, but so… _hurt_ and afraid at the same time. I knew for sure then, how he felt about you. He spent the next three days with you. Never leaving your side, barely eating, barely sleeping, and barely breathing until you started to stir. I don't know what happened then but he came back to the apartment a broken man; he was angry at me but more at himself. For some reason I couldn't stand it; we never even talked. He didn't look at me or touch me… he just sat there for ages never moving. I couldn't live like that anymore."

"What are you saying?" Yuuki whispered, barely daring to believe her own conclusions.

"I'm saying Yuuki, I give up!" she threw her hands up in defeat and frustration. "He doesn't want me and I'm not staying with him if he's going to be like that. We'll hate each other. I won't do that to him. Yes, he was my fiancé, but he was my best friend for a long time before that. He deserves to be happy, and he needs you to be happy."

She finished talking and looked at Yuuki hopefully, but Yuuki was just frozen. Staring at the blonde waiting for her to say 'gotcha!' or 'just kidding' but she never did. They stood there for ages not speaking, Yuuki running Sara's confession over and over through her mind.

"Say something, Yuuki?" Sara begged.

Yuuki gulped. "But it's impossible! He needs to find a suitable replacement, someone the council approves of…" she whispered, nervously.

"Well, sort of." Sara laughed. "I don't suppose they even thought that I would break up with him. He found a better woman in you, Yuuki. You are perfect for each other. You're both too damn stubborn for your own good." she laughed, and so did Yuuki, but only slightly. "I left him, Yuuki. Yesterday. They gave him restrictions, but not me. I'm free to leave whenever I wish. I think I deserve at least a chance at a happily ever after. I mean, you have yours so I want mine…" she grinned. "I'm selfish as always. Yuuki, I'll say it again. Kaname is no longer engaged and he wants you.... no, he_ needs_ you. You should give him another chance. Yes, he fucked up really badly by choosing me over you that day when I poisoned you… but understand it's not because he loves me more. He just didn't like hurting me. He's kind. He thought, and still thinks, that you don't love him so he chose to let you live a happy life and make me happy. But all that's happened is that he made himself miserable, and I can't stand to see him that way."

_Love? _Yuuki thought. _Do I love him? Is it possible that he loved me all along?_

_No._

"Yuuki, don't talk yourself out of it. You love him! We both know you do. Sheesh, I think the whole of Tokyo knows by now! Just try Yuuki. I know you will regret it if you don't."

Sara began to walk towards Yuuki, but she did not move an inch. Still frozen in the same place, lost in her own thoughts.

"He loves you, Yuuki. Accept it. It'll change your life." she smiled reassuringly at Yuuki she hesitantly placed a hand on Yuuki shoulder before walking away.

Yuuki stood like that until the sun went down. Not moving, only breathing and blinking. Finally after hours she raised her head to the sky, catching the pale moon in her sights. The same thought running through her head, which had now been there for hours.

_Of course I love him. It's been so obvious. How could I not have realised it sooner. But what can I do? The things she said, they can't be true....can they?_

* * *

_ALL DONE!!! Well done for making it to the bottom of the page. Hope you all enjoyed it and that you think it was worth the wait. I've almost finished the next chapter and i promise i won't take ages to update again. (now that i think of it i don't think it was that long...but it was long enough)_

_Sorry again. Please let me know what you think. Any ideas are welcome. :D love you all._

_To my awesome Beta reader VampireMaddy. I love yoo!!! I really do! You are great. Everyone go and read her amazing stories they truely are amazing i love them :D_

_So review people you know you want to. Good? Bad? let me know and for god sake will someone shut me up i can't stop babbling. by the way there are three links for this story on my profile go check it out._

_AAAAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

_bye xxx_


	11. Chapter 11

**Chapter 11: Unexpected visit**

**Authors note: Wooooooo!!! I got another chapter written already!! I know it has been a few days but i'm dead proud of myself. I hope you guys enjoy this and if you do i owe it all to my amazing beta reader VampireMaddy. I grovel at your feet. She is amazing and awesome and a lot of other A words (except the bad ones or any rude ones....just nice, complimentary ones).**

Leaving a stunned Yuuki on the bridge, staring at Sara Shirabuki with an expression of fear, disbelief and confusion, Cross Kaien walked into the woods. He stood out of sight of the two women but in a position where he could see them just in case something went wrong. The way Yuuki feared this woman either meant that Sara had done something to Yuuki and Yuuki was trying to forget about it or, something involving them both had set them against each other, and Sara's arrival merely meant an addition to Yuuki's already obvious heartache.

The chairman looked at the two women standing at least four feet part as he tried to make out the words falling from the blonde's mouth. Opting to give Yuuki some privacy, he stood far enough away as to not here their words, but now the decision infuriated him. Kaien, by nature, was a curious man. His curiosities about vampires lead him to become a hunter and then to try and find a way for vampires and humans to co-exist in memory of the vampire he had once loved.

Smiling sadly at the thought of the woman whose name he had forbidden himself to think, he looked back at his beautiful daughter. Although she was adopted there was nothing he wouldn't do for that child. The conversation seemed to be nearing an end, Sara was approaching Yuuki who seemed to be frozen in shock. After giving Yuuki a hesitant pat on the shoulder she walked off into the red trees. The chairman wondered if he would ever see her again.

Yuuki stood there for ten minutes, not moving, staring into the woods while her mind worked furiously to make sense of the conversation. Her frown deepened but other than that she showed no sign of life. The chairman frowned, concern and worry filling his eyes as each second passed and she still did not move.

Slowly, carefully he made his way through the wild roots and fallen leaves of the trees and moved towards the bridge.

"You should probably just leave her." a small voice echoed through the silence.

The chairman turned to the source of the voice and was greeted with a hesitant smile as Sayori Wakaba emerged from behind a tall oak.

"What do you mean Yori-chan?" he asked softly.

"Gomen, headmaster, but Shirabuki-san and Yuuki have had a few problems with each other over the past few weeks. From what I heard from Shirabuki-san as she was preparing to leave it seems as if they have reconciled, but unfortunately until I can talk to Yuuki I cannot be sure." she explained, and the headmaster nodded.

"I understand Yori-chan, but I cannot just leave my daughter standing there like a zombie. She'll catch a cold." his serious tone dropped mid-sentence and was replaced by the affectionate worrying of a mother, which caused Yori to laugh softly; careful not to interrupt Yuuki's stupor as they were now close enough to be heard if they spoke too loudly.

"I am not saying you should, but I think it will be better for us all and Yuuki if we leave her there to mull things over. From what I know about the pair of them, from Yuuki, she and Shirabuki-san have a very important thing in common. Ever since she discovered it she has changed in so many different ways. I believe that what Shirabuki-san came here to say will change Yuuki in a way none of us could have foreseen whether that be good or bad." Yori said knowingly.

The chairman looked at her, confusion apparent in his sparkling eyes. The light that surrounded them was slowly fading from a brilliant white to a subtle gold colour, casting shadows from the trees in every direction over the leaf strewn soil.

"If this 'thing' is to change Yuuki so dramatically, do you mind telling me what this thing is?" he enquired. Yori suddenly looked uncomfortable.

"As concerned for Yuuki as I am, and no matter how much I believe you have a right to know, she is my best friend… I think that she should tell you herself. She wouldn't appreciate me telling her entire family about her personal life." she informed him.

"Yori-chan, come here." the headmaster beckoned, and Yori went and stood next to him. He raised his hand as she followed his line of sight.

The sun was setting on the horizon, sending streams of yellow, pink and orange light across the midnight-blue sky. Yuuki's body was cast in a silhouette, sharply contrasting with the brightness of the sunset. She not moved an inch in the time that had passed since Sara's departure. The bridge and the trees surrounding her were bathing in the warm glow of the sun and the pale beech wood of the bridge shone in the darkness. The aged tree trunks, swamped in all imaginable colours, cast sinister shadows across the picturesque landscape. It was a beautiful yet melancholy sight; surrounded by this natural splendour was the unmoved statuesque figure of Yuuki.

"Gomen-nasai, Yori-chan, but I don't think Yuuki is in a fit state to tell anyone anything. If this news has upset her as deeply as you predict I do not wish to be a bystander, witnessing my daughter's pain and sorrow not being able to help. Please, _tell_ me, and perhaps together we can snap her out of it." He pleaded.

Yori scowled and bit her lower lip, contemplating whether to tell him or walk away. She sighed and closed her eyes as if she were bracing herself for a terrible tragedy.

"You're right. It has been weeks and I have seen her go from a normal Japanese girl living an everyday life to a girl soaring in the sky with happiness, only to fall to the ground and wallow in misery and self-loathing. I have known her too long to stand by and watch it. I want her to be _happy _again… to smile and really mean it, to be able to laugh about nothing the way she used to do. I want to be able to make fun of her about trivial things; see her blush before she launched into a detailed contradiction; not ask boring questions and get one syllable answers. But most of all I want my friend back… but I don't think I'll be able to do this by keeping her secret." Yori gushed her wishes, whilst sorrowful and angry tears splattered down her cheeks. She reached up and wiped them away harshly.

"Yori-chan, tell me. I won't even tell Yuuki I know." Kaien reassured her.

"I feel like an awful friend but I am telling you for my own selfish reasons. I want the old Yuuki back but she doesn't want to live through what has happened. She is a broken person…. only she doesn't think I know. She hides it every day but she'll be pulled back into her memories of 'him' and she'll break. I've caught her crying so many times and I just want her to stop and never cry again." Yori whispered as loudly as she dared.

"'Him…? Yori, what happened?" The chairman urged, after jumping to the wrong conclusions.

"Chairman, it is nothing like what you think." Yori scolded, and the chairman relaxed slightly. "She met him weeks ago whilst she was trapped in an elevator for about five hours. Since then I've seen her change from her face lighting up when he walks in to a room to dying every time his name is mentioned. Chairman, she fell in love and I know he broke her heart."

The silence echoed around them as the seconds passed. Yori smiled slightly, finally getting her problems off her chest, only to cast her eyes down in shame for betraying her friends trust.

"Love?" the chairman questioned incredulously. "That would explain it then, huh?"

Yori nodded and wiped her eyes on her sleeves.

"Arigatou, Yori-chan." he whispered, and Yori smiled again. "You're right, we need to leave her be. It would do her no good to have to put on a face for us when she is hurting. It is better she gets her troubles under control now than shut us out forever."

Yori nodded once more and turned to walk away. Whilst being careful not to stumble over the roots she made her way towards the manor.

"Oh, and Yori-chan?" the chairman called, and Yori carefully turned to face him. "You didn't betray Yuuki. You are her best friend, and nothing you do could change that." he smiled reassuringly at her and she smiled back, slightly regretful, before turning and walking into the ever darkening woods.

Smiling sadly the chairman turned to look at Yuuki who was still frozen in place. Shaking his head he turned away from her and made his way after Yori.

"You'll sort everything Yuuki, I know you will." he whispered.

"Yori-chan, where's Yuuki? She has been gone for hours." Akira asked Yori when she walked in the door.

"Erm..." Yori started, taking off her jacket and placing it on the coat rack. She seemed deep in thought and sighed before answering. "She's out in the garden still…" she stared miserably down at the floor as if she had committed an unforgivable sin.

Akira frowned from her place on Zero's back. "There is something wrong with her, isn't there?" she asked.

"Perceptive as always, Akira-san." Yori smiled respectfully. "I'm not sure what's wrong… the chairman and I didn't want to approach her in case we said the wrong thing. She had a meeting with Shirabuki-san and I think she said something to Yuuki to upset her."

"Hmmm…." Akira replied. "Zero, hon, can you put me down a minute? I want to go and find Yuuki."

He turned his head to the side and she pulled back to look him in the eyes "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No." she replied "I doubt Yuuki will want an audience if she is upset."

He nodded solemnly before lowering her to the floor gently. When her feet were firmly placed on the wool carpet he let go of her knees and turned to face her.

"Need your shoes?" she smiled in response.

"And socks!" she grinned, before he ran off up the stairs to get them for her.

"Never in a million years would I think that Kiryuu Zero could be controlled like that." Yori laughed in disbelief, and Akira grinned.

"He is not _controlled_." she argued. "He just can't say no to me."

They giggled and Zero came rushing back into the room handing Akira a pair of pink socks. She bent down and pulled them on while Zero held her waist to keep her balanced. Then she grabbed the boots from Zero outstretched hands and pulled them on too. They were flat so she could easily walk in them but they also came up to her knees, just below where her dress ended, so that she could keep her legs warm. The night had darkened a lot since Yori's return and one look out the window would be enough to tell them that, even on a summer night, the weather can be extremely unpredictable.

Akira walked over to the coat rack with Zero close behind her and pulled on a long, black overcoat which stopped at her knees; Yuuki had an almost identical one in white. Tucking a strand of her long, blond hair Zero stared at his fiancée and smiled.

"Hurry back, and bring my little sister with you too." he encouraged.

She smiled and nodded at him. Those in the room looked away from the couple because it seemed rude to intrude on such a personal moment. The way they acted was as if they were about to be separated for an age. He lightly kissed her on the forehead and opened the door for her. She reached up and kissed his cheek before walking into the darkness towards the woods.

His eyes never left her body as he watched her back get further and further away from him and when she disappeared altogether he stared at the last place he had seen her; waiting patiently for her return.

Yuuki stood there staring at the moon for an unknown amount of time. She didn't know or care how long she stood in silence, staring at the brightness of the stars and the moon shining down on her. The nothingness of the night held comfort for her and she dreaded the moment someone would come looking for her again and she would have to face the harsh reality that the day held for her.

"_**Kaname is no longer engaged and he wants you.... no needs you."**_

_Lies! All lies! He can't love me. She's lying; doesn't she think I'm hurting enough? It's not enough that he chose her? Does she really need the satisfaction of rubbing it in my face? Building my hopes up only to have them ripped down when I next see them together? _

Slowly a frown formed on her beautiful features and her brown eyes echoed the confusion that her thoughts were scratching into her mind...

_Why would she though? If she was that proud of winning why would she want to see me again? It makes no sense for her to lie but she simply can't be telling the truth!_

In the back of her mind Sara's face was all she could see. The hurt and frustration of being voluntarily separated from Kaname was present but also alongside a kind of fierce determination and will power to do the right unshed tears shone in her eyes but she kept them at bay.

_Could she be that good of an actor?_

"_**You love him. We both know you do."**_

_Oh how right she is! I do love him. I always have. _

Yuuki now realised that it had not been since that day in the elevator but long before that. The strange curiosity she had felt when he first came into the same school as her when they were young. Furthermore, the way at Cross Academy she had always felt the need to talk to him more than the rest of the night class. However, she had never acted on those impulses because of Zero's own hatred towards them. Because they were vampires.

How times have changed. She forgot Kaname only to be reintroduced to him time and time again. Zero remained loathing vampires whilst slowly changing into one himself. The days when she would patrol these grounds making sure the day class students never found out the secret of the night class only to have to guard everything about herself from those closest to her because she now shares that secret.

_But how can he love me back??_

Yuuki's frown deepened even more as she tried to analyse everything Sara had said to her. Some of it made sense, but other bits (mainly about Kaname loving her) made no sense at all. Was she really giving up? Or was it all just a cruel trick?

Unconsciously a tear silently made its way down her cheek, followed by another and another, until she was sobbing quietly into the night.

_He doesn't love me. She made those things up, just so she could have the satisfaction of seeing my defences come crashing down around me, leaving me even more broken than I already was. How could he love me anyway? I'm so not good enough for him, he's perfect and gorgeous and then there's me. Plain little ol' me._

More tears escaped her eyes and she wrapped her arms around her torso in an attempt to keep warm. The wind had a chill to it but it seemed as if all warmth had left Yuuki's body. Sara's words cut her deeply. How could someone be so vicious? Could she not have just left her alone? Because that really is what Yuuki is. Alone.

"Yuuki?" a small voice echoed across the bridge, but Yuuki didn't look away from the mesmerising stars.

"Yuuki, what's wrong?" Akira repeated as she drew closer to Yuuki, who was still crying silently while the moon reflected in her large, wet eyes.

"Yuuki, talk to me, please." she begged.

Yuuki turned her head towards Akira and her expression was pained. Akira's eyes widened as she saw the pain in Yuuki's eyes, devoid of all other emotions.

"Yuuki…" she whispered gently. "What happened to you?"

This broke through to Yuuki who suddenly collapsed onto the floor as her whole body shook with uncontrollable sobs.

Akira gasped and ran at Yuuki. Falling to the ground in front of her Akira wrapped her arms protectively around Yuuki's trembling body and gently rocked her soothingly from side to side. They sat like that in silence, neither one speaking. Yuuki was crying too much to breathe and her lungs were taking in as much oxygen as possible, in short, sharp bursts while she chocked and shook for reasons unknown. Akira was too concerned for her best friend to ask.

After a while Yuuki stopped crying but her breathing remained erratic and sharp and she clutched onto Akira's jacket as though it was her lifeline. The only thing tying her to the world was a thick material worn by a very frightened woman. Eventually her breathing evened and Yuuki loosened her grip on Akira's jacket as she shuffled away so that she sat staring at the ground in front of her, sitting on her heels. Akira stared at Yuuki who remained silent, for a while.

"Gomen-nasai, Akira, you weren't meant to see that." she mumbled at the ground.

"Yuuki..." Akira whispered in response. "How long have you been holding that in?" she joked and Yuuki let out a dry laugh in response with no real humour behind it.

"What happened to you, Yuuki?" she asked, regaining her concern. "Don't give me all that bull about not wanting to talk about it. You have literally just fallen apart, you owe me some answers."

Yuuki looked up at Akira whose unyielding stare held no sense that she was going to let this go.

"Fine…" she sighed, defeated. "What do you want to know?"

"Who was he? I know this is all about 'him'. Yori has been watching you and telling me about what's happening to you. You've been going from incredibly happy to crying yourself to sleep at nights in a single day. He did something to you. We all need to know Yuuki. We are your family, we deserve to know." she pleaded, every syllable encouraging her to speak.

"I... I... He's just..." Yuuki stammered, but couldn't form a sentence. It was as if something was physically stopping her from saying his name.

"Yuuki, the more you try to forget the more you'll remember. If you just let it all go at once rather than in little doses you'll feel much better and probably won't break down like you just did." Akira soothed.

Yuuki remained silent, staring at Akira with a frown on her face.

"Did you have an arranged marriage too?" she asked.

Akira was, to say the least, shocked. She had expected an answer, not a question, but decided that it would be easier to just keep Yuuki talking than to allow her lapse into her thoughts again. If she broke down like that in front of the chairman or, even worse, Zero there could be no knowing what they would do.

"Once, a long time ago." Akira replied bluntly.

"But, you're a noble, why did they let you marry Zero?" she asked, confused.

Akira laughed darkly ."They didn't let me. I met Zero about a year after you both left school and it wasn't exactly love at first sight. More like hate. He was slowly falling to a level E even though he stabilised a little after he killed Kuran Rido..." Yuuki unconsciously shuddered while more tears filled her eyes at the sound of _his _last name; something which did not go unnoticed by Akira.

"... We got to know each other and it wasn't long after that I knew that I loved him. I went to the council and told them I wasn't going to get married to whoever it was they had chosen. They asked why, and I told them I was in love. Once they found out who it was they flipped. I was banned from ever seeing him again, but they couldn't stop me. They told me if I was to carry on seeing him they would have nothing more to do with me, which I didn't care about. My family disowned me soon after that, not wanting their household shamed, which means they won't be invited to the wedding. As long as Zero keeps feeding off my blood, he should be able to avoid Level E. I won't ever let him do that he would hate himself more than anything." she finished.

Yuuki just stared at her, piecing together everything that she had just heard.

"That's awful…" was all she said.

"Yeah, but why?" Akira questioned.

"He's engaged." Yuuki replied softly, and Akira's eyes softened yet she remained silent.

After a few minutes Akira got curious again. "What did she want?"

Yuuki gulped and closed her eyes, as if wishing she could erase that memory for good.

"She's his fiancée." she whispered.

Akira's eyes narrowed.

_Sara Shirabuki is his fiancée… _she thought. _Then her fiancé must be… Yuuki's in love with... Oh. My. God!_

Akira's eyes widened and she stared in disbelief at Yuuki.

"Kaname?" she whispered, sounding choked. "_Kuran_ _Kaname_?"

Yuuki just nodded before sobbing once more. Akira sat there staring incredulously at Yuuki, her eyebrows dangerously close to disappearing into her hairline forever.

After a few minutes of silence Akira cleared her throat nervously in an attempt to steady her shock.

"Boy, Yuuki, you sure know how to pick them don't you?" she laughed.

Yuuki giggled through her tears and wiped her eyes for what seem like the millionth time that night. Akira shuffled a little and went from sitting on her knees to sitting cross legged in front of Yuuki, who giggled again when she realised Akira resembled a human girl at a sleepover. Akira smiled; glad that Yuuki was starting to cheer up. Now was the time to get some information.

"Seriously though, it's not just that he is engaged, is it?" she questioned cautiously, not wanting to pressure Yuuki.

"No." she replied dully "I'm sure Yori told you how we met?"

Akira nodded and smiled. "I've always wanted to know what went on in there." she grinned, and Yuuki chuckled without humour.

"Maybe one day I'll tell you…" she sighed. "Anyway, I thought I'd never see him again but I saw him at Hanabusa-kun's birthday party, and then at the soiree for the council and a few times in between. Anyway, to get to the point, we kissed in the elevator, bloodlust took over and we got a little carried away…"

"That's my girl!" Akira whispered.

"I ran when we were let out. We danced at Aidou's party and he was going to give me a lift home but when we got to the car we almost kissed again, but Sara interrupted. He never told me and I was so… _annoyed_. I wasn't really angry, just annoyed, because I let myself believe that something might have happened. Sara talked all the way to my apartment then I found out they lived in the same building. I swear that elevator was out to get me."

They both giggled and Yuuki sniffed, finally gaining some composure.

"I left my bag on the floor of the elevator and he brought it down the next morning. I had just agreed to go on a date with our next door neighbour, and he seemed jealous. Well I thought he was, his eyes darkened and he looked tense but now I know I was seeing things…" Yuuki continued

Akira was about to voice her outrage when Yuuki held up a hand. "You said get it all out at once…"

Akira huffed and folded her arms but remained quiet.

"Arigatou… Anyway, we saw him that night waiting at the elevator when we came in. I was drunk out of my mind but I can remember everything. He was tense again and kept shooting dirty looks at Unoki. I know that because Unoki asked me what his problem was a couple days later. He came again the next day and we kissed again. I was in a towel." she cringed heavily. "Yori and Jamie walked in and we stopped but he invited me to Shiki-san's party with him and Sara. I accepted, Yori questioned me but left and I swear I was floating on cloud nine. He always spoke about Sara so… so… I don't know, but not in the way a guy _should_ talk about his girlfriend. The way he kissed me actually made me think that he may have feelings for me. At the party I walked in with Takuma. That's when I found out that Ka…Ka…Kaname." she gulped and shuddered. "…and Sara were already engaged. It took everything I had not to cry and yet I don't know why it took that much as I barely knew him. I danced with Aidou and we put on quite a show or so, I'm told, and Kaname came over making Aidou run for the hills and we danced. He was jealous then, I mean it radiated of him, but dancing with him just felt so right. I can't explain it, but it did, and I didn't want to let go but we argued and I stormed off. I got lost and ended up with Takuma playing pool. Seiren came and told me Kaname was looking for me. I tried to run but he found me and Takuma had to leave. I say 'had' because the look Kaname was giving him would have made even _Zero_ leg it."

Akira and Yuuki both giggled, Akira more than Yuuki, of course.

"Anyway we had another argument and I darted for it. Actually, I sprinted back to the party and when I got there I walked over to Sara and Aidou. Sara thought I had something to do with the fact that Kaname asked the council to end his engagement, but when she told me that was the first and only time I had ever heard it before. I now know that she slipped some poison into my drink and if I hadn't drunk so fast I wouldn't be here right now…"

"THAT FUCKING BITCH!!!!!!!" Akira screamed, making Yuuki jump "Where the fuck is she? I'm going to wring her _fucking_ neck."

"Akira! No!" Yuuki shouted back, and they fell into silence. "That's all in the past. She apologised."

Akira nodded but was still seething. In her head she was already formulating a plot to get even with the lanky cow.

"I woke up three days later with Kaname in the room. I don't know why he was there but I was glad. We talked and ended up in a tickling match. He won, and eventually he was on top of me on the floor… because we_ fell_, Akira, you bloody pervert." Yuuki laughed, feeling better by the second although her tear stained cheeks were not yet back to their normal colour. "We were about to kiss but he pulled away and I asked him why. He… he…" Yuuki was now crying again, as the memory came flooding back. "He told me he was still fucking engaged! After _everything _she done to me, after she nearly killed me, he still wanted to get married to her! He never cared for me, no matter what he said. If he cared he would have left her, no matter what the council said."

The tears came steadily now and she buried her face in her hands, hiding her tears. Akira closed her eyes and shook her head.

_Poor Yuuki. _She thought_ How could he do that to her? He does care though… I know he does._

"Sara… Sara came here today because she had to tell me something." Yuuki continued through her hands. "When I saw her I didn't dare to move, she came here to rub it in my face. He chose her but she couldn't just leave me be, she had to come back and rip down my defences."

"Yuuki?" Akira asked, sounding worried and scared. "Yuuki, what did she say?"

Yuuki's body shook even more and she unconsciously wailed in pain. Akira cringed with the sound of pain that was not her own.

"She said he _loves_ me." Yuuki cried. "She said that he needs me and has always loved me. She told me that she broke up with him because she wants to see him happy and that he needs me to be happy."

Akira's expression softened and she smiled slightly. "Then why are you crying Yuuki? If he loves you then you should be happy. You love him and now there is nothing stopping you from being together."

"Shut up, Akira." Yuuki shouted, and Akira stared at her. Yuuki looked up from her hands and stared viciously at Akira.

"He doesn't love me. He can't. The things she said were lies. It was all just a way for her to see me in even more pain than I was before. I don't need you helping her." She explained.

"You're wrong, Yuuki." she whispered, which made Yuuki stop crying, made her practically stop breathing. "He loves you, believe me I know. Before now it wasn't clear, but hearing your side made me realise how dumb I have been. He does love you."

Yuuki shook her head once again, ready to argue, but she stopped when she sensed someone approaching.

Akira looked up sensing the presence too, she saw who it was over Yuuki's shoulder and smiled.

"Yuuki? You okay?" Zero asked.

Yuuki sighed and turned towards him. He gasped when he saw her face: pale, lifeless and cold. Her eyes held no emotion and her cheeks were stained with tears.

"Oh my god! What's wrong?" he asked, walking towards her.

Yuuki frowned and her body shook once more with tearless sobs. It seemed as if she had cried all the tears she could. Zero looked at Akira for an explanation and saw her frantically shaking her head and waving her arms. Silently telling him to shut his mouth. Zero grimaced.

"On second thought… you don't have to tell me. I brought your coat. I thought you might be cold; you've been out here for a while." he held out his arm, offering her the white coat.

She smiled, stood up and walked towards him. He helped her into her coat and turned her to face him. Sighing slightly, he pulled her into a hug. He wrapped his arms protectively around her waist and pulled her closer. She instinctively hugged him back and grabbed fistfuls of the shirt on his back, whilst she buried her face into his muscular chest, attempting to regain control.

Akira stood a few feet away looking on, smiling. But all of a sudden the smile was wiped off her face. She tensed and turned her back to the pair of vampires hugging and peered into the darkness. Zero and Yuuki were too busy to notice her and did not even sense the approaching person. Only when they spoke did they acknowledge that another person was witnessing Yuuki's troubles.

"Am I interrupting something?" the husky male voice asked.

Yuuki's head shot up to gaze fearfully into Zero's eyes and her whole body tensed upon hearing the familiar voice. The voice of someone she did not want to see.

"Oh _fuck_!" Akira exclaimed loudly.

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**OOOOOHHHH you made it to the bottom of the page which means you didn't die of boredom while reading it...at least i done something right. I hope you liked it and i promise all the Yuuki/Kaname angst stuff will finish soon...possibly the next chapter but definatly the one after that but only if you review....if you want Yuuki miserable for another 20 years you won't review but if not press the lovely green button and type a few words...they could be complete garbage for all i care seriously one word reviews are good enough for me.....if you can favourite and stroy alert this story surely you can review and i know i love the other things as well but please review.....omg now i'm begging!!!**

**I'm off now! Hopefully you will be back to read my ramblings another day...if not...i'm sorry i'll limit it next time....promise!!!**

**Well see you wierdos (i call you that because you like this story....seriously ....wierdos....lmao :D) only kidding i love you all really**

**Bye....OH AND REVIEW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!**

**XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX**

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	12. Chapter 12

**Chapter 12: Apologies**

**Ok? Imagine this, me a very, very impatient, disorganised girl up to my neck in clothes. Laptop in front of my face, complete with hardhat, torch and shovel. I'm digging through my many years of mess looking for a god damn piece of coursework that was meant to be in three fucking months ago!!! IT'S IMPOSSIBLE!!**

**I can't find it….if I don't update after this it is because I failed my exam and my mum killed me.**

**Know that I love you all!!! Thank-you and if I find this thing I will see you soon.**

"Oh fuck!" Akira exclaimed loudly.

Akira's shoulders slumped and she started mumbling darkly, forgetting that everyone currently present could hear her perfectly.

"Just when we were getting somewhere… honestly some people have the _worst_ timing."

Zero looked from the fearful face of Yuuki who was unbelievably tense in his arms to the half exasperated, half saddened face of Akira who had both her hands placed on her hips as she stared impatiently into the trees on the opposite end of the bridge. Zero followed her gaze and frowned.

"Akira, what's going on?" he asked.

"Yuuki is a bit upset." she snapped "Now we have an audience… fan-fucking-tastic."

"Gomen-nasai, Akira-san. I did not mean to intrude or offend you in anyway." the husky voice interrupted and a tall, lean figure emerged from the shadows of the trees. His deep chocolate eyes sparkled in the moonlight and his brow and mouth were set in a hard line staring at the small form of Yuuki still frozen in Zero's arms.

"Kaname!" Zero shouted with a smile. "Long time no see… why are you sneaking around?"

Zero let go of Yuuki, who still stood with her back to Kaname, and walked past Akira to the pureblood. When he stood in front of him Kaname dragged his gaze from Yuuki's back and looked into the pale lavender eyes of the hunter.

"I wasn't sneaking you just weren't paying attention, Zero. You are right though; it has been a while since we last saw each other." Kaname replied politely.

Zero playfully punched Kaname's shoulder who grinned and they embraced in a friendly, 'manly' hug.

Yuuki spun round and stared wide-eyed at the pair of them. The hunter hugging the pureblood. Something wasn't right in Yuuki's world. They hated each other… didn't they? Narrowing her eyes at Zero's back she shot Akira a silent, quizzical look silently asking what she had missed.

"Ahem." Akira coughed, a little too loudly.

Zero and Kaname broke apart and Zero frowned at Akira. Kaname on the other hand merely returned to gaping at Yuuki who still refused to meet his eyes. Akira shifted her head warningly in Yuuki's direction and stared back at Zero silently conveying a message of outrage.

"Oh shit, yeah." Zero muttered, slapping his forehead "Gomen, Yuuki, sometimes I forget you aren't here all the time." he grinned, but Yuuki only seemed half interested. Not bored, just dazed and confused.

"Kaname and I made up a couple years ago. It's a long story… I'll have to tell you one time." he explained hurriedly.

"Uh-huh… _'Made-up'_?" Yuuki acknowledged, finally finding her voice.

Silence followed and Yuuki stared at Akira who stared at Zero. Zero looked confused and kept shifting his head to look between the girls and Kaname. Kaname was still staring at Yuuki, his eyes full of longing, as if he were a blind man seeing for the first time. His frown became more prominent as the silence rang in everyone's ears.

However, for Yuuki, everything seemed too loud. Her breathing was sharp and erratic from crying and the sudden feeling of fear she was consumed by. Her heartbeat thrummed loudly in her chest and it ached like it were about to break free of her body. It screamed at her to look at him but her more stubborn mind told her to keep her eyes away from him. Yuuki's head pounded from all the loud, angry thoughts circling her brain.

_What the fuck is he doing here? What the FUCK does he want? Oh, I get it; he's here to tell me Sara was joking and that it was all a huge misunderstanding. HA! I don't care anymore. Asshole. Go back to your stupid girlfriend._

After weeks of crying because of him, not sleeping, not eating, closing herself off from those closest to her, Yuuki finally felt the depression leaving her. Confronted by the devastatingly gorgeous vampire in person her body and mind was overtaken with an anger so intense it seemed to radiate off her. Everything was now bathed in a sharp crimson haze and her eyes seemed to glow in the darkness of the light. Akira gasped and cringed at the same time when she caught sight of her. Kaname didn't seem to notice the change and continued his never-ending watching of Yuuki's every breath and movement. Zero was the first impatient voice to shatter the suddenly hostile silence.

"See, now I know I'm missing something." he shouted, frustrated.

Akira shot him a warning glance, assuring him without words to fill him in another time. He sighed while shaking his head.

"Fine. Don't tell me. Keep your secrets… honestly, _women._" he muttered under his breath.

Akira continued to watch Yuuki carefully, ready to throw Kaname out of the way if she did anything rash. Everything was too tense. Akira, Zero and Kaname could now hear Yuuki's deep, angry breaths and her eyes never dimmed she stared at the trees, unwavering concentrating so hard not to scream abuse at them all. A low growl escaped her lips but it was so low it could have been a breath of wind. Only Yuuki knew what it really was. Her hands unconsciously balled into fists and she bit her lip and closed her eyes, inhaling deeply in an attempt to calm herself. Not a very successful plan.

"So… Kaname. What brings you into this neck of the woods? I thought you were headed out to Tokyo to sort something out?" Zero asked, trying to divert everyone's attention away from Yuuki's poor self-control.

"I was, but I had a change of plan. My quarry was relocated. I followed, but since I got dumped I decided to call by for a while." he replied offhandedly.

"Aw man, too bad. What happened with her?" he questioned, not realising Kaname's ex-girlfriend was the reason they were all on the bridge in the first place.

"She said she didn't want to marry me anymore. I apparently deserve to be happy with someone other than her. Well, at least that's what she said." he replied just as coolly, making it sound like it wasn't a big deal.

His eyes never left Yuuki, who had now shifted her gaze to a tree over Kaname's shoulder. Not able to keep looking away at the new revelation but not entirely trusting herself to look him in the eyes. At this point she was unsure whether she would break down looking in his eyes or tear him apart.

_So it's true? _She thought. _She really did break off their engagement. That doesn't mean that the other things she said are true…. It makes them more reliable, sure, but doesn't mean they are really true._

Yuuki was now frowning deeply, contemplating his words. Akira noticed and started to smile hugely. To her this was a positive sign. Maybe now Yuuki would realise what an idiot she's been acting.

"May I ask why we are outside on this cold evening?" Kaname asked politely. He was wearing his school uniform as usual and he seemed to shine in the darkness, like a brilliant, white light.

"Good question." Zero grumbled. He was still annoyed for not knowing what was wrong with Yuuki and for Akira not telling him.

"Yuuki and I were having a little chat when Zero came along to give Yuuki her coat. You turned up as we were about to go back to the manor." Akira promptly replied, having given the question a great deal of previous thought. "Which we still have to do." she laughed, but her smile seemed strained "Shall we?" she offered.

Zero smiled and walked towards Akira. Happy to have her back in his arms he tightly wrapped his arm around her small frame and pulled her close. They were about start to leave when Kaname spoke.

"Do you mind if I speak with Yuuki alone first? I have something I wish to discuss." his calm façade seemed to falter slightly and his voice reflected the longing in his eyes. He still had not looked away from Yuuki.

Yuuki was now staring furiously into Kaname's eyes. There was no hint of fear now, just pure anger. A weaker man than Kaname would have wilted away from her gaze but he stood firm and stared back. Yuuki's eyes shone even brighter into the night and her pupils, slits of jet black, seemed to sink into the blood coloured orbs. She looked truly terrifying yet beautiful at the same time.

When she spoke, her voice was controlled. Composed, calm and polite. Her hands were still balled into fists and her whole body shook even more violently as she fought against the almost overwhelming urge to scream. To someone not witnessing the scene she would have sounded calm and serene but her body language gave her away.

"Gomen-nasai, Kaname-kun, I am extremely tired it has been a long day. I am headed to bed now. Goodnight." she smiled politely, but her angered glare did not waver.

Without waiting for a reply she turned at an inhuman speed and darted into the trees faster than anything the three of them had ever seen.

"You really are going to have to explain things to me. I am completely lost here." Zero sighed in frustration.

"Turn your map upside down, honey." Akira joked, while patting his chest.

Kaname made a motion to follow Yuuki but Akira stepped in front of him, blocking his path. She held a hand to stop him and he glared angrily at it and then at her.

Now furious because of that look Akira narrowed her eyes at him. "I wouldn't do that if I were you." she stated coldly.

"Why not?" he demanded through gritted teeth. He was so close to her but now he was being stopped. What was it now?

Akira tilted her head so that her ear was facing the same direction as Yuuki's departure and Zero eyes followed hers. Expectantly, Kaname followed his gaze and after a second or two they heard it.

Kaname could only guess that Yuuki was now at least a hundred metres from where she had been less than a minute ago but he heard her scream as clearly as if she was standing right next to him. It was hard to imagine what it would have been like to be near her now, in all her petrifying magnificence.

"STUPID FUCKING, IDIOTIC, UNRELIABLE VAMPIRE!" she screamed, and they could clearly recognise the sound of a tree being uprooted in the distance.

Zero grimaced, glad that there were no students left on campus. If there had been that would have been messy; in her anger Yuuki was careless.

"I'll rephrase that shall I? If I was you and I valued my life, I would just leave her be." Akira raised one eyebrow, but he could tell she was serious.

"She could not hurt me." Kaname reminded her "I am stronger than she is and she has barely grasped her powers yet."

"True," she nodded, "but I bet you aren't one tenth as pissed off as she is."

Kaname gulped without realising.

"I suggest you return to your room, Dorm Leader Kuran," Akira told him, "The night class have been waiting for you to return."

Zero reattached Akira to his side and they turned towards the manor.

"The chairman is going to throw a fit when she gets in… I doubt anybody missed that." Zero whispered to her, once they were out of earshot.

"I think he'll understand why she did it." she replied fondly, and they disappeared into the trees, leaving a stunned Kaname alone to his thoughts.

"STUPID FUCKING, IDIOTIC, UNRELIABLE VAMPIRE!" she screamed at the top of her lungs, as the fierce wind swept through the clearing where she stood.

After hours… weeks even, of holding in her anger in fear of doing something stupid she could finally let out her frustration in a way which made her feel tons better: good old fashioned violence.

Now that she was away from_… him… _it was easier to calm down. Her fists unclenched and her body's tremors became slight shudders before disappearing completely. The wind became a gentle breeze and she sighed calmly.

She opened her eyes once they had returned to the dark brown they used to be. Finally able to feel an emotion other than pain, Yuuki smiled.

_I'm glad I got that out of my system before I see Jamie again. Poor sod hasn't forgiven me for the rock in the forehead thing. Funny how all my problems go back to 'him'. Stupid arsehole._

Breathing in and out deeply Yuuki started to feel the sleep catching up to her. Today had been a very long, very challenging day. The tears and anger had drained her both physically and mentally. Eventually her legs gave out under her and she collapsed to the floor. Crawling to the base of a tall tree Yuuki relaxed her muscles and leaned her head against the wood.

It was quiet where she sat. There was a gentle breeze rippling through the short grass. The leaves on the trees swayed because of it and a soothing rustling sound echoed around her. Staring up at the clear sky, the stars seemed to wink at her and she smiled. This was the most peace she had had in weeks. He had caused so much upset in her little world, turning everything upside down like a hurricane. Never once had she regretted meeting him. Even now her anger was still tainted by an unknown, unexplainable gratitude to whatever or whoever had blessed her enough for her to know that hurricane. Whenever he was there she felt complete, like the final piece of the puzzle had been found. She could not understand it, let alone explain, but having him so close to her yet doing nothing felt even worse than not having him at all.

Yuuki smiled sadly to the sky. Could she forgive him for choosing Sara? Could he love her? Could they be happy? It was without a doubt that she knew she loved him, more than she loved any other ever before. Even in the short time they had known each other he seemed to be everything she needed.

It was as if they were born to be together but he had hurt her so much in the past couple of weeks that she doubted her own thoughts. She could forgive him easily enough but she had no idea whether or not she would be able to open up to him. How could their relationship work if she doesn't give him 100% of what she had to offer?

With these thought circling her mind she drifted into an uneasy sleep….

"_Okaa-sama, where is onii-sama? You said he should be here by now!" the young girl cried._

_As in her other dreams, Yuuki was looking in on the scene feeling like an outsider. The young girl was obviously her and the older woman was none other than her mother. The resemblance was impossible to deny. _

"_Yuuki, calm down, he will be here soon. You should not get yourself this excited to see him, you'll become clumsy." her mother scolded fondly._

"_But okaa-sama, I love onii-sama… will we be like you and otou-sama when we are big?" she asked, her eyes sparkling._

_From Yuuki's guesses the younger version of herself could not be more than four years old. Yuuki knew, that in less than two years she would be separated from her mother, and it was all because of Rido. He had destroyed her family for apparently no reason and, when he failed to 'acquire' Yuuki in his first attempt, returned ten years later to reawaken her._

"_Yuuki, you know that if you wish it you will be, onii-sama loves you dearly too." her mother cooed._

_The girls' eyes widened and her eyes shone in the dim light the candles cast around the windowless room. A huge grin spread across her angelic features and she giggled._

"_Really? Does he really love me too?" she begged._

"_You should already know I do, Yuuki." another voice interrupted. _

_The small boy whose body appeared to be around six but she could not be sure because, like in her other dreams, his face was obscured and although the voice seemed vaguely familiar she could not place it. _

_The young Yuuki twirled more gracefully than the nineteen year old could ever manage and her whole face seemed to light up because of him. Her onii-sama._

_The boy stooped down to pick Yuuki up as she stretched her arms up towards him. Laughing, he swung her round in a circle while she squealed with delight. Her smile seemed infectious and soon their mother was smiling lovingly at the two of them. Yuuki wished she could see the boys face. She felt as if all the answers she needed could be given by this boy but he remained a mystery. _

"_Yuuki, I'll always love you. Never forget that." he made her promise._

"_I promise, onii-sama, I'll always remember you." she grinned _

Yuuki jerked awake, breathing heavily. The dreams were becoming more and more frequent and it was scaring Yuuki out of her wits. The last time she had had dreams like this had been when she was remembering her life as a vampire. The dreams were mainly of her mother; the day she had sacrificed her own existence to hide Yuuki as a human.

Wiping a hand across her forehead to clear her skin of the thin layer of sweat that had formed Yuuki could not help but wonder if these visions were really just dreams or another glimpse into her past. Did she really have a brother? But if she was awakened three years ago how could she have been left in the dark about her own brother? If he were as important to her as he seemed to be in the dreams, how could she forget? She can remember everything about her mother and father, even though it was so long ago, why could she not remember him?

_But I don't remember everything about my parents _Yuuki reminded herself.

It's true that her true identity was still quite a mystery. She knew her real name had been Yuuki but she did not know her last name. Was that the answer then? Did she need to find out her last name, to discover if her elusive onii-sama existed?

Then… who could she ask?

A soft rustling noise, like footsteps, caused Yuuki's thoughts to cease.

All of a sudden a hand clamped down on Yuuki's right shoulder and Yuuki screamed in terror.

Pushing herself as hard as she could off the cold floor, she launched herself across the clearing while twirling in mid-jump. Landing in a position to see her stalker, Yuuki almost lost balance. Almost.

"Yuuki, calm down please!" the voice pleaded.

Shock took over her body and she sunk to the floor with a quiet 'oh'.

Yuuki felt strong arms being wrapped around her shoulders. Her heart was beating furiously and she felt curiously light-headed. She looked up in a daze and found a pair of warm and concerned brown eyes staring down at her.

"Yuuki, are you okay?" he asked.

"Kaname?" Yuuki whispered, "What are you doing here?"

"I told you before I need to talk to you. I followed your scent and found you there… have you just woke up?" he asked.

"Erm... yes?" she questioned, and he chuckled. It was a light hearted sound that gave the impression of true happiness.

_What is going on in that gorgeous head of his? Wait. Oh. My. God… Kaname Kuran is here! Shit. Fuck. Shit. Shit. Shit._

"Do you think you could let go of me please?" she asked quietly.

"Are you sure you can stand up?" he joked.

Yuuki shot him a dark look and he immediately let go and stepped away from her.

"Gomen, Yuuki." he murmured.

Yuuki sighed and got to her feet, knowing that she would end up forgiving him when he explained everything. She was still pissed at him, extremely pissed but he was just so damn hard to resist.

_Damn him and his outrageously good gene pool!_

"What do you want, Kaname?" Yuuki sighed, already knowing what he will say and how she will react.

"I came to apologise." he rushed.

"I forgive you." she replied but he seemed not to have noticed.

Yuuki had noticed that whenever they were together it was not only her that acted like a bumbling idiot. However, she didn't read much into it.

"I know what I did was inexcusable and what Sara did was also outrageous. You have to know that I only did it to stop her getting hurt, but I thought you weren't bothered. I didn't know it would upset you that much. I can't put into words how sorry I actually am and I don't see how you could ever forgive me... but please, please, can you at least try? I don't deserve your forgiveness but… hold on a minute did you say you forgive me?" he stammered.

"Yes."

"But... so, you actually forgive me?"

Yuuki raised her eyebrows at him and her mouth hung open. An expression that clearly said well… durr!!

"Yes, Kaname, I forgive you." she assured him.

"Really?" he asked, perplexed.

"Really. You had your priorities and I over reacted. It's understandable; I'm not saying I'm not annoyed because I am. I'm extremely pissed off actually, but there is no point in holding it against you. Sara and I have already spoken about it and she apologised a lot for her actions and although she nearly killed me at least I now know why. She explained a lot of things to me and I understand better now. She was jealous of me because of some wrong assumptions. In other words for, no reason, but now that she explained it's easier to forgive. You were protecting her as well as keeping her happy and that's admirable. I forgive the pair of you. Maybe one day Sara and I could be friends, who knows? Apart from the whole jealousy ridden, vindictive tramp thing she puts off sometimes, she seems like a good person, full of love to give. I respect that. I just wish I hadn't been involved because it's exhausting. I get it now, Kaname; she thought it was me so she tried to stop me even though she was wrong." Yuuki explained her own twisted logic, and looked to the ground. "So yes, I forgive you."

Kaname was just frowning "When did you speak to Sara? What did she say?"

Yuuki smiled slightly and looked him in the eyes for the first time. Actually looking, instead of her usual glaring.

"She came by this afternoon. That is why we were all on the bridge before. She explained her actions and her own thoughts on the issues that caused her to act so irrationally. I didn't believe her at first, but I know now that most of what she said is true…the rest… well, the rest she said to make me feel better." Yuuki smiled sadly, as if she were silently wishing Sara's words had been true, which of course she was.

"Did she tell you I love you?" Kaname asked urgently.

His urgency was for him to find out if Yuuki felt the same about him. A spark of hope ignited in his heart and in his eyes. Perhaps now, after all these years, he could put everything right. Put things back to the way they should have been before _he _came and split them all apart. However Yuuki was still caught up in some strange idea that his words and Sara's were either trying to torture her or cheer her up and took his urgency as a need to deny the claim.

She cringed as if embarrassed, but she was crying internally, because she really did wish he loved her in return.

"Yeah..." she cringed "I know it was to make me feel better, Kaname, so don't be mad or anything. I know it isn't true and that's all that counts."

The hope Kaname felt a moment ago suddenly dried up and he felt strange and empty again. An old piece of an old conversation seemed to echo in his mind…

_There was some part of me that saw something in his eyes. Like he cared._

_How can I make her believe again? _He asked himself

"Yuuki" he whispered "It is true. I do lo-…"

She interrupted him. She did not think she could bear to hear the words and know at the same time that there was no meaning behind them.

"C'mon Kaname, stop it now." she urged "I've forgiven you, don't make it worse by lying."

"I'm not lying." he sighed, throwing his arms up in frustration.

"Then you're not telling me the whole truth, Kaname. If you do love me, which we both know isn't how Sara meant it, it's as a friend. Maybe..." she uttered.

"Maybe...?" he enquired.

"I said I forgive you, but that doesn't mean I'm not angry. I know you realised how mad I was before. Right now I'm just too tired to react. It may take a bit of work but hopefully we can be friends. I would like it that way." she explained.

Kaname sighed and closed his eyes, frowning. He had felt this same feeling for years, ever since she had been taken from him that snowy night. He would tell her soon, if she was not already beginning to figuring it out. His ice cold heart began to freeze up again after weeks of thawing out. All because of her. If only she could know how he loved her. How much he loved her. Maybe then she would see and he could explain everything. But how could he do it when she wouldn't open up to him? As friends she would have secrets, she would be guarded, never giving 100% and he could live with that... but he knew that she wouldn't.

"I would love to be your friend, Yuuki but I…" he started.

"Then that's all I want." she said, sounding final.

"Yuuki? Please listen." he began.

"Kaname. I am really tired. As you guessed, I've already fallen asleep out here. I think now would be a good time to finish this conversation and return to our beds… well my bed. You still don't sleep at nights. I need to start doing that… ah well. Goodnight Kaname. I hope you have a pleasant evening." she concluded and started walking.

As she passed Kaname he held out his hand and let it brush over the back of hers. The effect was instantaneous; a spark of electricity ran through his veins and his fingers felt like they were on fire. His skin tingled and his pulse quickened. Yuuki felt this change too and she flinched away from his touch. He smiled knowingly.

_Perhaps this won't be as difficult as I thought _he schemed, and as she disappeared into the darkness he retreated back towards the moon dorms.

After Yuuki had escaped interrogations from Akira, questioning stares from Zero and concerned glances from both Yori and the chairman, she finally managed to climb into bed and fall into a deep sleep. Leaving all her worldly problems and worries in reality she escaped into the world of dreams where her possibly non-existent brother gave her more things to think about…

**Meanwhile in the moon dorm…. **

As the oak door opened noisily Kaname slid into the light, open foyer of the dorm and was greeted by his noble friends. At the sight of him they all stood and bowed.

"Kaname-sama, welcome home." Ruka greeted him.

He nodded politely at her and began walking towards the stairs.

As he placed his foot on the bottom step Aidou nudged Ichijou on the back, causing him to stumble forward. Giving him an encouraging stare, he inclined his head towards Kaname.

Kaname sighed and looked at them.

"Hai, Ichijou?" he asked impatiently.

"We were all wondering…." He stammered and gulped "We were wondering if Yuuki-sama has returned to the school grounds. We heard the yell before and it sounded like her. Is she here?"

"Hai," he replied solemnly, "I was just talking to her."

"Have you resolved your differences?" Ichijou asked curiously.

"Partially." he nodded "Seiren?"

Abruptly Seiren appeared at his side and everyone aside from Kaname jumped. Ruka hissed in surprise.

"Hai, Kaname-sama?" she answered.

"Please head over to Cross manor. Yuuki's cries from before have no doubt raised the question of our existence to Yori-chan, please return her memory to the way it was. I'm sure Yuuki and Jamie-kun would appreciate that." he ordered.

"Of course, Kaname-sama." and with that she disappeared, making it seem like she was never there at all.

"Goodnight." Kaname murmured and they all bowed. Once he had rounded the corner and the nobles thought he was out of earshot Aidou was the first one to speak.

"It's been nearly three weeks since their last argument and they haven't been together before now," he deduced, and they all murmured in confusion, "That means that no one won the bet. They still haven't kissed. We lose."

"How do you know they haven't kissed, Hanabusa?" Akatsuki asked.

"Do you think that he would walk in looking so depressed if he had? He would be literally bouncing up those stairs. Singing!" he informed them all knowingly.

Ichijou chuckled "I doubt Kaname sings, Hanabusa"

Meanwhile the others all voiced their agreement to Aidou's original point.

Unknown to them all, Kaname was at the top of he stairs, hiding behind the wall, listening to their conversation. He smiled sadly at himself and turned towards his quarters.

_Have I really been that obvious?_

**You'll never guess what? While I was scrolling down the page to write this my younger sister walked in and handed my the coursework. I'LL LIVE!!!!!**

**So there will be more chapters. Are you happy? I am! :D**

**Oh and is that reconciliation I see? Possibly you will have to review and see if they will kiss and make up soon.**

**Shout out to my wonderful beta reader VampireMaddy. She is the most awesomenest girl alive…I love her…I do in a none sexual way of course. I suggest you all join me in grovelling at her feet because that is what she deserves!!! Bow down, people, bow down!!!!**

**:D big smiles, cuddles and cookie to my reviewers. Luffles!!!**

**XXXXXXXX**


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13: The Decision? Part 1

**Hey guys!! It's amazing isn't it? I'm actually alive. It feels like ages since i've updated but i've had so much homework and stuff to do, i had an english literature exam this morning and can i say "A Kestral for a kanve" is the most boring book i've ever read (no offence to anyone who likes it, my complete personal opinion) and poetry should go and die!!! Again no offence emant i just really don't like it. Oh and french!!! Don't even get me started on that! Dumb teacher! Dumb speaking tests!!! Argh! Enough ranting from me. New chapter= yey! finally! I know you're all thinking it. Have fun. Don't die of boredom, like i almost did...ish. Ok i'm lying. Anyone else but me think i need to shut the hell up? Yes? Ok, shutting up.**

_**Three days after the discussion with Kaname.**_

It was almost dark when Yuuki finally woke up. It had been almost a full day since she had managed to haul herself into bed. Akira's pre-engagement party had run until the early hours. Yuuki's dreams had once again been plagued by her apparently non-existent brother.

Both Akira and Yori had checked on Yuuki throughout the day and had found nothing unusual about the scene. Yuuki slept peacefully upon her back, one hand lay on her stomach whilst the other propped her head upon the pillow. Her expression was calm and serene, a small smile playing on her lips as her eyes fluttered delicately in time with her dreams.

Groaning, Yuuki rolled onto her right side and blinked, trying to focus on the red numbers displayed on her alarm clock. Finally as the edges blurred into place she gawped at the time she saw.

18:48

"_Fuck! Have I really slept all day?!"_

Groaning even more loudly, she pulled her self upright and ran a hand through the tangled mess of straw she had for hair.

Silently looking around her old room which had remained the same despite the years, she focused on a small doll hiding in the corner, gathering dust. Yuuki remembered receiving the doll for her eighth birthday from a mysterious stranger. The eight year old Yuuki had been thrilled and hadn't left the doll alone for almost three months; she had clung to it like her lifeline. Nearly twelve years later Yuuki now knew that she had owned that doll in her short time as a pureblood vampire. Her unconscious had no doubt recognised it, causing Yuuki to treasure it. Who gave it to her was still a mystery; everyone from her past life was dead.

Except for the elusive onii-sama… Could he have sent the doll?

"_Stop that," _she internally chastised, _"You don't even know if he's even real."_

Deciding that it was too early for such thoughts she roughly kicked her warm quilt covers and swung her legs off the end of the bed. Stretching her arms above her head and yawning widely, Yuuki shook off the need to crawl back under the covers and sleep some more. During the short amount of time spent here she was already becoming accustomed to the lifestyles of 'ordinary' vampires (If it were possible for the night class of Cross Academy to ever be called ordinary; something Yuuki seriously doubted) so she was now sleeping more during the day.

Getting up off the comfy mattress of her childhood bed, she hobbled over the wooden floors and made her way towards the door leading to the rest of the house. Yanking the door open with more force than she had intended, yet another side effect of living with vampires, she stumbled onto the landing.

Walking the short distance between her bedroom door and the top of the staircase she slowly descended each stair being careful not to trip over her own feet and tumble, much to her humiliation. Yuuki must have been quiet because the conversation taking place in the kitchen was far from coming to a close. Yuuki would not have hesitated if she had not heard her name mentioned.

"I'm seriously worried about her…" Akira sighed.

"Who? Yuuki…?" Zero asked dumbly.

"No. My suicidal fairy godmother. Of course I mean Yuuki, you twit!" Yuuki heard the distinct slapping sound indicating that Akira's small hand had probably made contact with the back of Zero's head.

"_Ow_! Why?"

"Well, ever since her conversation with Sara-san she's become less distant."

Yuuki frowned and Zero asked the question she was thinking.

"Isn't that a good thing…?"

Akira sighed again and Yuuki could tell she was shaking her head.

"Sara told Yuuki that Kaname loved her but Yuuki doesn't believe it for some random reason so she won't go near him. He really does love her, and she loves him too, but she's too stubborn to admit it and he doesn't want to upset her any further."

"Yuuki always was stubborn," Zero pointed out. "But what do you mean upset her _even further_?"

"Kaname has been acting like a complete arse."

'_I'll second that!' _Yuuki thought, happy that someone was finally agreeing with her.

"He's been kissing her and telling her that she means the world to him then running back to Sara. Sara actually poisoned her once and almost killed her but he still remained engaged to her. However, Sara felt guilty and left Kaname because the council forbade him from leaving her. Kaname came here to try and get Yuuki back but she won't accept that they aren't playing her again."

Zero sucked in a very deep breath.

"He did _what_!" he seethed "She did _that_? To my little sister?! I'll fucking kill them both!"

"Sara is mine!" Akira hissed angrily, "But no, we can't."

"Can I at least talk with him?" Zero pleaded.

"No," Akira ordered, "I know you; you form of 'talking' either involves fists or your bloody rose. You can't do anything; they love each other. If anything happened to either of them the other would break apart. Ichijou-kun told me about how Kaname barely talked for three days whilst Yuuki was unconscious he just sat next to her whispering: _'I'm sorry'_"

Yuuki's had eyes widened then softened as she listened to the explanation; she had never really asked what had happened whilst she was unconscious. She had been too busy getting angry at Kaname.

'_Great, now I feel guilty!' _Yuuki's inner voice groaned, but she listened just as intently on the conversation.

"Kaname realised a long time ago that he loved her, but she won't accept his love because she is convinced he will hurt her again." Akira sounded on the verge of tears.

'_Have I really been that obvious?' _Yuuki pondered.

"I know what you mean. When we were all back at the academy; you know, before Yuuki went all vampire on me, it was unnervingtowatch. He would never approach her but he stared at her endlessly; she'll never admit it but I know she also yearned to talk to him. It was like she was drawn to him. I could never understand it but then, once I started losing control, I thought about how Yuuki's blood seemed to appeal more than anyone else's. I started to think that maybe he wanted to bite her, so naturally I warned him off. He never did though; just watched from afar. But even then his macho exterior always melted whenever she was around. It was like a whole new person shone through all the hostility." Zero explained.

Yuuki stood frozen to the spot in the middle of the stairs. Her hand held the banister in a vice like grip and sooner or later the wood would splinter underneath her strength. Right now she was glad she had remained in her hiding position because her mind was working furiously to process all the new information she had just learnt; it meant that she could do little else other than breath.

"Aww, that's so cute!!" Akira squealed.

"Doesn't matter though," Zero growled "He hurt my baby sister so now I'M GOING TO FUCKING KILL KANAME!!!!!"

"Will you keep it down?! Yuuki is still asleep!" Akira whispered loudly.

"What have I done this time?" a bored husky voice echoed around the kitchen.

Yuuki shook herself into a more focused state and descended the remaining stairs, walking into the kitchen whilst trying to sound groggy.

"Yeah, what's he done?" Yuuki asked innocently, stifling a not-so-fake yawn.

Akira and Zero both stared apprehensively at each other, trying to think of a way to get out of the current situation. Yuuki opened her eyes and found they were drawn to Kaname, who stood lazily leaning against the kitchen countertop.

Kaname, whose body language appeared calm, was resisting the urge to grab Yuuki and show her exactly how he felt about her. His eyes wandered hungrily over her scantily clad figure and Yuuki blushed under his gaze. Since Yuuki had just dragged herself out of bed she was still in her nightwear which consisted of a very short pair of shorts and a figure hugging tank top. She was dressed all white and her dark hair cascaded in waves down her back.

Yuuki turned away from his eyes and hid her red face behind her hair.

Innocently pretending not to have heard the entire conversation, Yuuki repeated Kaname's previous question.

"Zero? Why do you want to kill Kaname?"

Zero shifted his eyes to Akira who visibly shrugged and he nervously started to rock back and forth. Yuuki found it slightly amusing that she could make Zero anxious now. Akira must have made him soft.

"Erm… because… he… I…" he stammered, "My back! Yeah, my back is killing me. It's been funny for years."

Zero grinned triumphantly at his own explanation. However Akira, Yuuki and Kaname all remained mystified.

"How is that _my_ fault?" Kaname questioned.

"Because YOU threw me out a window, remember?" Zero replied, irritated.

"Oh!" Kaname answered, finally understanding as the same look of understanding also plastered over Akira's face. However Yuuki was still wondering what she was misunderstand; what did that have to do with anything? "Well, yes, I suppose that would be my fault."

Yuuki finally got annoyed with their infuriatingly knowing smiles.

"Nope, you lost me there. What is everyone talking about?" she scowled.

Akira giggled. "Yuuki, you know you were wondering how, when and why Kaname and Zero managed to become bigger men and get along?"

"Yeah…" Yuuki replied, frowning.

"I suppose you'll find out now. That's what everyone is smiling about." she explained.

"It was about two years ago now…." Zero began.

_**Flashback**_

_The night was darker than usual. No stars shone through the thick veil that was draped over the trees. The moon had long since disappeared. Now, it was the time of the vampires._

_Zero was seething. His jaw gritted in a menacing state of tension; his hard, lavender eyes shifted across each shadow as he hastily made his way towards the huge, elegant building that was the moon dorm which housed the famous night class students._

_Picking up his pace he jogged lightly towards the bridge that connected the elaborate housing of the vampires to the school building. The night class had finished and its pupils had long since returned to their evening activities. The day class students, mainly the girls, were probably scheming up plans to dodge Zero's fellow guardian Yuuki in an attempt to catch a glimpse of the apparently gorgeous night class men. _

_Tonight Yuuki would be alone in her troubles. Zero had more important business to take care of._

_Blasting the heavy wooden doors of the moon dorm, Zero stormed in the direction of the stairs that would lead him to the pureblood's quarters._

_However, his action had clearly disturbed some of the inhabitants of the moon dorm._

"_Gah!!! Kiryuu-kun, do not barge in like that; you'll give me a heart attack!" a very cheery Ichijou called to him._

_Zero froze. Slowly turning, he shot Takuma his most menacing glare and Takuma backed away._

"_Hey man! What's up with you?" he asked._

_Zero managed to form two words in answer: "Where's Kuran?" _

"_Dorm leader Kuran is in his room and should not be disturbed." a pompous voice answered._

_Hanabusa Aidou rounded a corner to Zero's right flanked by his cousin Akatsuki and a sombre looking Ruka._

_In a lightning fast movement Zero turned on Aidou and withdrew his bloody rose. Pointing the gun right between the nobles' eyebrows, Zero stared into his piercing eyes. Akatsuki looked up and flared a fireball in his palm as a warning to the silver haired hunter, but Zero did not back down._

"_I did not ask for excuses, vampire; Kuran will speak with me whether he likes it or not, but I must thank you for telling me of his whereabouts." he hissed._

_Zero lowered his gun and everyone relaxed a little. Without another word Zero turned and hurled himself up the stairs, taking them two at a time. _

_Searching for his room was not hard; his stench was everywhere. It was sweeter than the rest yet still repulsive; to Zero anyway._

_Crashing through the doors, Zero cast his gaze around the room and his eyes landed on the still from of Kaname Kuran who did not seem to have been disturbed by the intrusion in the slightest._

"_What do you want now, Kiryuu?" Kaname asked, sounding almost bored._

"_What do you want from Yuuki?" Zero stated bluntly._

_Kaname's ears pricked up at the mention of her name and he sat up from his resting place._

"_Whatever do you mean? I have not even spoken to the child. What makes you suspect that I want anything from her?" he asked, sounding totally innocent._

_Zero snarled a little. "You may not have spoken to her, Kuran, but do you expect me not to have noticed your never-ending staring contests with her back?"_

_Kaname stiffened, for he had been trying hard to conceal his interest in Yuuki._

"_I do not want anything from her… I am merely curious." _

"_Curious about what, Kuran? Yuuki will not be like us." Zero retaliated._

"_Us? You have accepted your fate then? Anyway, what makes you assume she will become one of us?" Kaname enquired_

"_Don't play dumb with me!" Zero yelled. "If you bite her and make her your servant, Kuran, I will not rest until you are just a pile of dust blowing in the wind!"_

"_I would not do anything like that." Kaname stated._

"_Like hell you wouldn't! I've dealt with your kind; do you forget that I too am a servant to the will of a pureblood? I will not stand by and watch Yuuki become your new plaything or willingly turn away when you treat her like dirt."_

_Kaname's eyes glowed crimson and they shone in the dark. His anger flaring, he made a conscious attempt to keep it under control._

"_This is not the first time you have meddled in the affairs of those superior to you, vermin. You have come to me before because of my apparent fixation with Yuuki. Twelve times in the last three months if I am not mistaken, and I have yet to bite her as you predict. Does this interest in her not being claimed have anything to do with the fact that her blood is appealing to the monster within you more and more each day?" Kaname taunted with a sneer._

_Zero growled. "I would never hurt Yuuki." he whispered._

"_Oh, but you already have," Kaname jeered. "Do you think we here have missed the scent of Yuuki's blood upon the air more often? It seems that your control is weakening; your fall to level E is rapidly progressing."_

"_Shut the fuck up!" Zero half cried._

"_It's true though, isn't it? Your thirst is becoming more and more insatiable, even when you attain the blood of the one you love." _

"_I said shut up!" Zero roared, and he pulled his bloody rose from within his jacket pocket._

"_Now hunter, careful. We do not want to spill any blood now, do we?" Kaname berated before standing and moving a step closer to where Zero stood._

_Kaname raised his hand to his neck and slowly pierced the porcelain skin with his nail. Soon crimson liquid spilled from the wound and slid down Kaname's majestic neck._

_The smell assaulted Zero's nose and he fell to his knees, struggling to breath._

_Looking into Kaname's eyes, his own, once lavender, irises burned a deep red and his breaths escaped him in quick painful gasps as he fought to keep the monstrous thirst for blood at bay._

"_Oh, how pitiful. The beast cannot control himself." Kaname chuckled darkly and stepped closer to Zero, causing him to groan in pain as his thirst became almost incontrollable._

_Keeping the blood flowing down his neck Kaname dropped to his knees in front of Zero and leant closer to him. Zero managed to catch himself before he darted his tongue to lick up the wasted blood. Kaname brought his neck within two inches of Zero's mouth and whispered into his ear._

"_Drink now, level E; maybe it will keep you satisfied enough to leave Yuuki alone. Now, beast, drink your fill." _

_Zero needed no more encouragement as the beast finally won and he lost himself in the smell of pureblood. Kaname grimaced as he felt his own life force escape his body and the sound of his own blood being lapped up made him nauseous. He wished it could have been someone else. Zero knew, from the taste of his blood. Just as Zero knew Yuuki yearned to talk to Kaname, he could taste that Kaname was finding the current scene just as disgusting as Zero was._

_It was this knowledge that brought Zero back to his senses. Heaving and grimacing, he withdrew his fangs from Kaname and shuffled away from him._

_Kaname wiped his neck of excess blood and the wound instantly healed. _

"_It seems that hope is not yet completely lost; for now at least. That was quite easy for you to stop. If only you could do the same with Yuuki…" he sighed, and Zero seethed with both anger and guilt._

_Kaname was right but he was not about to voice that fact._

"_Too bad. Now leave." Kaname sneered._

_A strong wind blew through the room suddenly sending the pureblood's luscious curls flying and his clothes dancing whilst Zero was picked from the ground and hurled at the window. A loud smash echoed around the building as Zero fell from sight. Kaname watched until he disappeared and sighed before leaving the room._

_Zero did not scream as he fell; that would have made him look gay. Even when in pain Zero did not want to look weak. He knew that the fall would not kill him, merely hurt. A lot. The two storey fall seemed to last for an eternity. As the ground got closer, Zero closed his eyes to brace himself for impact. The wind whistled in his ears and his senses seem to cut off as he knew the pain was all too near._

_However, instead of the hard cold soil he was expecting, Zero was stopped by something much smaller, much softer and much, much louder!!_

"_Get your stupid, vampiric butt off me! You great lump!" the object screamed._

_Slightly dazed and sore, Zero hopped off the body as fast as he could. What he saw when he looked at the cause of the scream he did not expect. Sitting hunched on the soil, wearing a pair of worn jeans and a now mud covered white t-shirt, was the most gorgeous creature Zero had ever seen._

_The woman could only have been about 5"5 or 5"6 but she was gorgeous. Her long white blond hair was tied in a high ponytail and her elfin face shone in the darkness. The only thing not as pleasant as the rest was the expression in her eyes. Her eyes themselves were amazing, violet crystals which screamed tenderness, but they were shrouded behind her current anger and hostility._

"_What the hell do you think you were doing?" she screamed._

"_I was thrown out of a window. Gomen-nasai, miss, are you alright?" Zero mumbled._

"_Thrown out a window?" she repeated. "Well you couldn't have landed a little to the left now, could you?" _

_Zero's recent appreciation of the woman suddenly evaporated and he now saw nothing more than a silly girl who was not worth the time._

"_I'll keep that in mind next time." he replied coldly._

_**End flashback**_

Yuuki was smiling slightly as Zero's story ended but she was still a little confused.

"That still doesn't explain why these two now get along." she pointed out.

Akira laughed "True. Let me finish. We must have argued for about five hours that night before we both screamed that we were tired and stormed off. I never planned to talk to him again; I thought he was the most arrogant man I'd ever met but a couple weeks later I was out hunting in the city when I got myself in a little bit of a situation. Luckily, Zero came along and saved my ass, or I wouldn't be here now. We've been inseparable ever since. After about four months Zero got the courage to go and thank Kaname. If he had not thrown Zero out that window then we would never have met."

"Rewind a minute? Akira, you _hunt_?" Yuuki gaped.

"Yep!"

"As in… Level-E vampires?" Yuuki questioned.

"Yep!" she repeated.

"I didn't know that…" Yuuki pointed out, astonished.

"I don't make a habit of it. I do it for fun!" Akira grinned, and Yuuki rolled her eyes.

"It was great. Best day of my life." Akira said dreamily, whilst staring at Zero who turned his head towards her.

"Best day of your life so _far._" he corrected, and she grinned.

"Urgh! Nauseating!" Kaname drawled with a disgusted countenance

Zero rolled his eyes, Akira narrowed hers and Yuuki stared at him, concerned.

"You don't believe in love…?"

"I do. I just don't like seeing other people enjoying their happy ending when I can't have my own." he replied nonchalantly.

"Why can't you have yours?" she questioned, clearly missing the point.

"The girl I love does not accept that it is her and therefore won't accept me. She knows I love her, or at least, has some idea about the way I feel because I have been _more_ than obvious but she still won't believe it, for one reason or another." he explained to his shoes, looking sad.

At the end of his sentence he returned his gaze to Yuuki, staring at her; silently urging her to understand that it is _her_ he was talking about but she just stood there, eyebrows furrowed, trying to figure out who it was that he loved.

Akira gazed sympathetically between the pair of them.

A soft knock sounded on the door and all heads turned in its direction.

"Come in." Akira called.

Ichijou's blond head popped round the door and his face screamed of nervousness.

His eyes darted to Yuuki and she blushed scarlet. She ducked her head and diverted her eyes.

Akira frowned, whilst Zero remained oblivious. Kaname, on the other hand, was fuming. This obvious display of embarrassment must have come from somewhere. His mind worked furiously, coming up with possible scenarios of what may have happened, each one becoming more and more farfetched by the second. This jealousy was beginning to get out of hand!

"Hello…" Yuuki mumbled.

"Hi." Ichijou smiled, nervously "Kaname, may I have a word?"

"Of course." Kaname nodded curtly.

With that they both left the room. Ichijou left first, looking petrified, followed by Kaname who merely looked confused.

As soon as the door snapped closed and the soft footfalls of the two males had faded, Akira turned her calm, blasé expression into one that even the most courageous of men would have flailed under.

"Akira, what's wrong?" Yuuki asked stupidly.

"You have to be one of the simplest people in the world!" she shouted, disbelief colouring every word. "You are _seriously_ the dumbest cow ever to have walked this earth!"

Yuuki's eyes hardened and she twisted her expression into one of utter confusion and shock "What? Why?"

"He gave you so many clues! He practically fucking spelt it out for you and yet you still refuse to see it!" she shouted, tears forming in her eyes.

"What do you mean? Why are you crying?" Yuuki urged, confused.

"I'm crying because I'm angry, Yuuki! He fucking loves you; don't you see that? It's like you're the centre of his universe but you carry on as if it's not blatantly obvious to everyone here! He loves you, Yuuki." she finished.

Yuuki's mouth just hung like a fly trap, her eyes devoid of any emotion. Finally, she shook herself out of the daze and cast Akira an untrusting expression.

"Stop talking shite, Akira. Kaname does not love me! You need to stop believing in fairytale endings; just because you found yours doesn't mean I'll get mine!" Yuuki hissed.

Akira smiled smugly. "So you admit you want him to love you?"

"I never denied it!" Yuuki contradicted.

"Then stop pushing him away every time he tries to tell you!" she explained brightly, grinning with her success.

For she had indeed won; Yuuki could not think anything to say back. Akira was right; Yuuki would not let Kaname say those three simple little words that would make her world complete. She did not know why she couldn't put the past behind her.

Recognising the defeat, Yuuki huffed and stormed from the room.

"C'mon Yuuki! Even _Zero_ noticed." Akira called after her.

"Hey!" Zero protested. I mean, it's not like he's dumb or anything. Right?

Akira shook her head as the door to Yuuki's room slammed shut.

"She knows I'm right. One day she'll thank me and she will become my own personal slave!" Akira forewarned Zero.

"I heard that!" Yuuki shouted down through the floorboards.

"Good!" Akira screamed. Glad to be back on speaking terms with Yuuki, she grinned.

_**Meanwhile in the grounds….**_

Ichijou and Kaname slowly made their way through the trees in silence. Ichijou glanced nervously over his shoulder to make sure that Kaname was still following him.

Eventually, Ichijou came to a stop far away from unwanted eyes and ears. Whilst Kaname remained frozen in place, Ichijou paced anxiously thinking of ways to begin.

"What is it, Takuma?" Kaname started.

Ichijou shifted uncomfortably, apprehensively biting his lower lip.

"I have something to tell you, but before I begin I have a request to ask of you." he rushed.

"Ok then." Kaname nodded.

"The news I have for you will upset you. I know this, and I can't expect you to just accept it easily. My condition is that once I have told you, you give me ten minutes head start to leg it and find a decent hiding place. If, or rather when, you find me you can do what you want; I'll just need time to say my goodbyes" Ichijou grimaced.

Kaname smiled and chuckled lightly. "Ichijou, calm down, will you? I'm sure it isn't that bad."

Ichijou laughed darkly, without any humour. "You'll be singing a different tune soon."

"It won't come to that!" Kaname assured.

"Promise me, Kaname?" he pleaded.

"Fine! You have my word I will not hurt you until after ten minutes have passed. Happy now?" Kaname recited, rolling his eyes.

"Not really." Ichijou sucked in a deep breath before beginning. "The day Yuuki woke up from her coma was really hard on all of us. However, it was the days after which really took their toll on everyone. Yuuki spent the majority of her time after you left crying in the guest room; she sobbed but refused to talk about it. Eventually, though, she stopped crying but we all knew she wasn't the same. Everyday she would refuse to go home and sit on the sofa staring at the TV screen. Once a romantic comedy came on and she screamed before throwing the remote across the room and storming out. It stayed like that for a few days and she got better at hiding it. Everyone else believed her façade, but I'd seen the way she reacted when she found out about your engagement; there was no way in heaven or hell that she would be okay with that. She was left broken and acted like an empty shell; she stopped believing in love for herself and focused on that of others; Akatsuki and Ruka for example. She helped them sort out their arguments and I would be surprised if she is not currently scheming about Shiki and Rima. Anyway, my point is that, the day you left, you took half of her with you. She'll never be whole again until she has you." Ichijou finished his tirade and looked expectantly at Kaname.

All he saw was the top of Kaname's head as Kaname was now staring at the ground in shame. Guilt and self hatred bubbled up inside him as he recalled the days when he had watched Yuuki and the look on her face when he left, as well as the heart breaking sob that had escaped her when he was outside the door. It was because of him that she was hurting, and it was because of him that she wouldn't let him close enough to set it right.

"What was the point in bringing me here, Takuma? If your plan was to degrade me and make me feel even worse than I already did, you have done well" Kaname asked curtly.

"Actually, there is more. This is where I need the head start. One day Yuuki felt the urge to play truth or dare; spin the bottle style. All of us were there and we sat in a circle. It was one of those games where Yuuki was playing matchmaker, trying to get Rima and Shiki to kiss, but instead everyone legged it first chance they got. In the end it was just me and her alone and we got talking about our return to the academy." Ichijou took a proactive step back and breathed deeply.

"Well, here goes nothing. We both got carried away; she was upset and in need of affection and I was… not thinking. We kissed, but we stopped because of you. It meant nothing at all we're just friends. It wasn't even nice." he blurted out quickly.

Kaname stared at Ichijou, dumbfounded, trying to understand his words. His expression blank. The silence echoed around the clearing and Takuma shifted awkwardly.

Kaname's breathing hitched as the full reality of Takuma's words hit him and he growled menacingly at him who withered under his furious stare.

"Listen man, I told you it meant nothing; it was a huge mistake! Neither of us were thinking straight and it just happened. Totally meant nothing!" he rushed.

"You _kissed_ her!" he growled.

"Well, yeah… but seriously… it wasn't anything…" Ichijou stammered.

"You knew how I felt about her and yet you still kissed her? How could you do that?!" Kaname hissed.

"Dude, will you just listen for a second? I said it meant nothing, and it didn't; we both realised what it would do to you and we stopped." Ichijou begged.

"I can't believe that you could do that to me. I thought we were friends." the tone of his voice drowned out the slightly whining words he had spoken; the malice was too noticeable to overlook.

"Kaname… you promised me? Ten minutes?" Ichijou pleaded, watching Kaname clenching his fists menacingly as he debated which method to punish Ichijou with first.

"You better get going then." Kaname hissed dangerously.

Ichijou squeaked very loudly, and ran…like a little girl!

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**As you may have guessed from the title this chapter is a two parter. It was one long chapter but me and VampireMaddy (who is amazingly awesome) decided that me being sued for boring people to death wouldn't be worth it (ok my words not her but it was looooooooooong) so two chapters have been written. Chapter 14 needs Beta-d still but there's no rush for that. Are you excited that you could have two updates quickly? I am! If i get a lot of reviews i might be convinced to update earlier. You know the drill, read it, review and make Kita happy!!!**

**Oh and by the way. One question? Has anyone but me ahd trouble sleeping ever sicne they seen twilight? I keep thinking that there is a gorgeous vampire watching me sleep without my knowledge. It's annoying because i want to see him!!! :( lol i'm sad i know. Ah well. I don't care and neither should you. You only have to put up with ym randomness every ocne in a while...pity my sisters 'cos i don't muhahahahah....ooooo cake. Gotta go it's chocolate. And no you can't have any. Your really want some? Fine, i'll race you. 3...2...1...GO!!!!**

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	14. Chapter 14

**OOOOH!!!! Everyone look! over here!! Do yuo see what i see? It's called another update!!! OMG! Without a two week long wait!!! The Decision part two!!**

**I am so proud of myself. VampireMaddy is the most awesome beta reader ever i love her and so should all of you even though i know a lot of you do. Hehehe Everyone who reviewed the last chapter i love you too and you all got cake! yay! It's in the post...if i haven't already eaten it! Hope you all enjoy the chapter. Now don't be a hater, leave a review later! Oh my gosh! I'm a poet and i didn't even know it! Ooooh there i go again. **

**Bye Bye xx **

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Chapter 14: The decision- part two.

Never one to go back on his words, Kaname clenched his fists at his sides to make sure he did not hurt Ichijou as he sprinted from Kaname's presence.

Silently seething as the twitter of birds resonated around the clearing, Kaname counted down the seconds to the time when he could go and find Ichijou and painfully rip him to pieces.

He remembered his guilt; her pain. He remembered all of it…

_Her eyes flashing red as the rear window of the old beat up car on my left smashed into a million tiny crystals. The mechanic replacing my rear view mirror after it had cracked under Yuuki's menacing glare after Sara had mentioned his kisses. The tears she thought I hadn't noticed when Ichijou had told her I was engaged. The way her eyes darkened whenever I mentioned Sara's name. Her tear glazed eyes on the red carpet outside Shiki's home. The hurt and the anger that shined from those brown orbs of hers when I had tried to convince her of my affections. The single tear that escape because of it. _

"_You … you…you're engaged," she whispered, "and it kills me."_

The sudden onslaught of memories left Kaname feeling slightly breathless; his overwhelming anger from a moment ago had now instantly evaporated. He now knew that this emotion, this betrayal, mirrored the way that Yuuki felt whenever he, himself, was with Sara. Had he really been that harsh to her?

Realising now that neither Yuuki nor Ichijou were at fault, he stood and wallowed in his own self-hatred, planning on ways to thank Ichijou for pulling him back to his senses, even in this unpleasant way. It had made him finally understand how Yuuki had felt throughout all of this mess.

Sighing, and wanting nothing more than to run to Yuuki and show to her just how much he loved her and how sorry he was for all the pain he had caused her, Kaname waited for the full ten minutes of Ichijou's escape to pass.

'_3…2…1… let's get ready to rumble_!' He thought.

Following the same path he had walked earlier with Ichijou, Kaname made his way back to Cross manor a little more enthusiastically than last time. Opening the old wooden door he walked into the renovated kitchen and opened his mouth to ask for Ichijou.

However, his voice cut off when he discovered the place was empty. _Where the hell is everybody?_

_**Nine minutes earlier…**_

The door flew open with a loud bang and a very flushed Ichijou burst into the room, eyes darting everywhere. No one noticed, or if they did, they did not care. Akira and Zero were now staring into intently each others' eyes. Akira's harsh glare was countered by the amused eyes of Zero as they silently battled in a "clash of the titans" staring contest.

"Pleeeeeease, Zero? I need chocolate." she begged.

"No," he replied sharply. "You'll be bouncing off the ceiling within five minutes."

"Guys!" Ichijou shouted and they turned to look at him; Akira pouted. "I need your help!"

"Why? What's wrong?" Akira asked, worried.

Ichijou glanced at the clock and audibly whimpered before sprinting to the bottom of the stairs and screaming upwards.

"YUUKI!!!! HELP ME!!!!"

In the time it took Ichijou to race back to Akira and Zero, Yuuki was standing by him, fully dressed and looked scared.

"Takuma? What's wrong? What's happened?" she begged.

Ichijou looked on the verge of tears. "I told Kaname about what happened at the townhouse back in Tokyo," he rushed. "Now he's after me and if you all don't help me I'm going to die! There is so much left that I want to do, I can't die now!!"

"Ichijou-kun! Calm down!" Akira urged. "We'll help you, but you need to start acting sane again or you'll drive me up the wall."

Zero groaned at the idea. "What happened at the townhouse anyway?"

"Me and Takuma, sort of, well… kissed." Yuuki mumbled quietly.

"Yeah, that ought to do it." Zero nodded.

Taking three very deep breaths, Ichijou finally managed to calm his breathing and all of a sudden he started grinning, which unnerved Zero.

"Will you really help me?" he asked.

"Of course." Yuuki answered, as Akira nodded reluctantly and Zero eyed him nervously.

"Does this mean I finally get to beat Kaname up?" he asked, his voice filled with hope.

"No, even better." he paused for effect. "We all need to play hide and seek!" he announced, earning him lots of very confused stares.

Yuuki was now thoroughly confused; her brows pulled together and the corners of her mouth turned down. "How will hide and seek save you from Kaname…? I don't see why he's after you anyway; he has no reason to, and it's really none of his business what happened. It's all just an overreaction."

Akira groaned and rolled her eyes, but it was Ichijou that finally snapped.

"Stop playing dumb, Yuuki. Everyone knows he's in love with you."

Each of them looked at him in shock; they had never heard Ichijou snap before. Yuuki gaped silently but Akira looked slightly smug. Zero frowned.

"Is it really that bad?" he asked.

"You didn't see the look in his eyes when I told him." Ichijou warned darkly.

Ichijou then started panicking, pleading with them all to play. Grudgingly, Zero and Yuuki agreed, leaving Akira and Ichijou ecstatic.

Akira suddenly grabbed Zero's hand and began to haul him towards the hallway.

"I know of a place he wouldn't dare to look!" she screamed, before giggling loudly and slamming door shut loudly.

The door to the kitchen opened slowly and Ichijou tensed, whimpering quietly. However, it was not Kaname, as he had expected. Instead Cross Kaien walked in, looking his usual cheery self.

"What's going on in here? You all look so tense!" he exclaimed in a sing song voice.

Yuuki blushed a little and began explaining.

"Takuma believes that Kaname-kun is going to hurt him, and in an attempt to hide from him we are all going to play hide and seek so that Kaname can't get information out of us. Am I right?" she asked Ichijou.

Takuma nodded furiously by her side and grinned at her appreciatively.

Kaien's face broke out into the most childish grin possible and he yelled out his own encouragement.

"I want to play too!" he exclaimed, before bounding off towards the hallway and out of sight. Shaking her head at the naivety of her adoptive father, Yuuki casually looked out the window. The sight caused her heart to skip a beat in excitement, which she immediately squashed down; Kaname was walking towards the house.

"Ichijou? Kaname's here." she warned.

Squealing, Takuma darted from the room faster than most man-made objects and followed Kaien into the rest of the house.

Yuuki resisted the urge to leave the house and decided to humour Ichijou, meaning she too turned and followed his retreat, although she did so in a much more dignified fashion. Letting her feet guide her through the silent corridors, she soon found herself in a deserted corridor near her old playroom; on her right was an old, empty, linen closet.

'_Ah this will do.' _She thought. _'It's not like he'll come this far anyway'_

Sighing, she pulled the door open and walked in, collapsing to the ground and resting her head on the cold wall. At least in here she could finally think and escape him.

_Stuck in an enclosed space for an indefinite period of time…wow! Sounds like that day in the elevator. Shit! Need to stop thinking about that._

_**Present…**_

Kaname's' eyebrows pulled together in confusion as he tried to figure out where everyone could have got to. His mind pulled a blank. Where could they have all gone? They hadn't been gone long; he could still smell them, but it was proving to be difficult to pinpoint their whereabouts in the house.

Leaving the solitude of the kitchen he wandered into the hallway to look for them, only to be greeted with more silence. The house wasn't that big; there was no way they all could have vanished.

A small, girlish giggle filled the air around him and Kaname suddenly shot his head upwards. Ascending the stairs slowly he listened to the voices.

"Zero, will you stop that please?" Akira pleaded, and Kaname could almost hear the smile on her face.

"Why? You know you like it…" he answered her.

Shuddering slightly, he practically jumped back down the stairs, figuring he didn't want to know what they were doing. With that he started along the deserted corridors once more.

_Ok, so Akira and Zero are upstairs. Where are Kaien and Ichijou? Yuuki, too, she couldn't be that far!_

A loud noise in a nearby closet made Kaname jump from his skin. When did these people get so good at hiding?

Strolling casually over to the door he reached for the handle and slowly turned the cold metal. The lock opened with a click and he swung the door open to look in.

A hard, blunt object poked his chest and he huffed from the sudden attack. What the…?

"Buggar off! I don't want to lose. Go look for someone else!" Kaien shouted.

Searching through the darkness, Kaname found a very distressed Kaien curled up in a corner. His usual bundle of cloaks and wraps were dishevelled as he crouched, ready to spring. Perched upside-down on his head was a silver saucepan, acting as a helmet, and the blunt object that had mercilessly poked Kaname was indeed the wooden end of a mop which Kaien was brandishing as a sword. The whole sight caused Kaname to raise an eyebrow in masked amusement.

"What do you mean?" he asked, sounding bored.

"Get out of my room!" Kaien squealed, sounding oddly like a moody teenage girl. "Pretend you haven't found me yet. I don't like losing."

With that Kaien reached forward and slammed the door shut on Kaname's face. He blinked, dumbfounded for a few seconds, before Kaien's words registered in his mind.

'_They're playing Hide and seek? How childish. No doubt Ichijou thought this up; I wonder if Yuuki likes the game?'_ He thought

Shaking his head Kaname was now only thinking of finding Yuuki. Maybe now he could tell her how he felt without being interrupted. Through all his musings he failed to watch out the corner of his eye or sense Zero and Akira creeping silently down the stairs, watching his every move as he neared Yuuki's hideout.

Once they saw Kaname turning a corridor, therefore leaving their sight, Akira and Zero giggled and rushed to the other set of stairs nearer to Yuuki's old playroom. As they hid just out of sight they knew Kaname was staring at the door. They, however, didn't know the reason.

The wooden door held so many memories for Yuuki; all happy pleasant times when she had not been so involved in the world of vampires. Little did she know that he had watched her in this room, playing with the doll he had sent her for her birthday. The smile on her face had warmed his frozen heart and as she clung to it he felt as sense of happiness overcome him that he had not felt in years. His observations were always silent and only happened when he was there with the chairman. _How_ he missed the days when she did not run from him. True, she may not have talked to him, but it was better than seeing her pained eyes and awkward conversations now.

Inhaling deeply his attention was trapped. _Yuuki_. Hiding nearby, her scent was so strong it almost overpowered him and as he turned his head her hideout was uncovered. The linen closet? How original.

Yuuki tensed, she felt him too, standing right outside.

'_SHIT!!!! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Shit! Fuck! __Why does he have to turn up at the worst possible time?'_

Kaname smiled a devilish smile. '_You can't escape now, Yuuki.'_

Stretching for the doorknob he cautiously slid the door open. Yuuki could have her moments and being on the receiving end of one of her tantrums was not on his to-do list for the day. Pulling the heavy door wide open he stared down at Yuuki. His eyes softened and he tried to tell her of his love in just a look; the relief of seeing her again was clear on his exquisite features. The look unnerved Yuuki; she enjoyed it but still it was not natural to look like that at someone you did not love. Her face ignited in another of her infamous blushes as she was filled with the same, familiar feeling. Kaname was near her again; finally, everything was alright again. A sense of disbelief washed through her as she tried to keep the confusion off her face. Why did she always feel like this around him?

Silently, they stayed in the same position, staring at each other. The awkwardness kept Yuuki seated but it was his fear of losing her again that kept him rooted to the spot. A small smile played on Kaname's lips and Yuuki's whole body relaxed fractionally. Their focus was so fixed on each other that neither was aware of what was going on around them.

Outside Akira turned to her fiancé. "Stay here," she whispered. "I'll be right back."

They were all vampires yet her words went unnoticed as Yuuki and Kaname seemed frozen in time. Lost in each other.

Grinning like a madman she pelted from her hiding spot into the corridor. Kaname realised what was happening but it was too late. The small elf-like woman used the full force of her weight against him and forced him, rather unceremoniously, into the closet. He staggered and Yuuki jumped to her feet to avoid being crushed under his weight while silently putting a little distance between the two of them. They both heard the sound of the lock being turned and the key removed.

"Right! Now you're not coming out of there until you've made up!" Akira concluded, smugly. "I'm sick of all the awkwardness; just get over yourselves."

Kaname sighed and sunk to the floor, resting his arm on his knee and leaning his head against the wall. His eyes fixed onto Yuuki as she turned towards the door to avoid his gaze. She punched the door hard but it did not budge.

"Akira, open the damn door!" she shouted, failing to sound calm. "We made up the night he got here; I won't kill him I promise. You, on the other hand, are in serious danger of never seeing the light of night again."

Akira cackled on the other side of the door, earning suspicious looks from Yuuki, even though a door separated them.

"Fine," she corrected herself "You're not coming out of there until you've _kissed_ and made up. Wink. Wink. Nudge. Nudge."

Kaname gaped incredulously at the door then at Yuuki's back, which seemed more than a little tense. This time when she spoke she sounded angry; _extremely_ angry.

"Or I could just break the door down and come after you myself!"

Kaname shook his head in sadness. Did she want to get away from him that badly?

"True…" Akira mused. "But you won't."

"Oh really? Why's that?" Yuuki asked menacingly.

"You and I both know your powers are erratic, Yuuki. As far as you know it only happens when you're jealous. Like when Sara mentioned how good a kisser Kaname was, you said the mirror cracked." Akira explained.

Yuuki gasped in horror and blushed a very deep shade of red. Kaname grinned at the ego boost.

"Akira…" Yuuki hissed darkly. "When I get out of here you're _dead_!"

Akira giggled but the sound gradually faded away and Kaname and Yuuki both knew that she had gone. Sighing, Yuuki gave the door one more kick for good luck before sinking to the floor opposite Kaname. Keeping her eyes fixed on the floor away from his prying eyes.

"If you really don't want to be here, why don't you just break the door down with brute strength?" Kaname asked, half-heartedly. The idea of Yuuki wanting away from him so badly made his heart ache.

"When Zero started changing and when I was awoken, my dad thought it would be best to reinforce all the windows and doors to make them vampire prove. Apparently the added strength made me all the more prone to breaking things." she explained quietly, chuckling lightly.

Kaname nodded and they lapsed into an uncomfortable silence. Occasionally Kaname would look up and attempt to start a conversation but immediately thought better of it and averted his gaze.

"Do you think we'll ever get over the awkwardness stage?" Yuuki asked cautiously, after a few moments of silence.

"We wouldn't have it now if you'd let me finish the other night." he reminded her

"Why do you say that? No one is here to hear you. You don't have to pretend." she mumbled to her feet, clad in blue trainer socks.

"Why don't you believe me?" Kaname urged.

Yuuki looked up about to argue but the intensity of his stare made her stall. Why _did_ she do it?

"I'm afraid…" she admitted. "I don't know if I'll ever be able to accept it."

"Accept what?" he asked

"That you want to be mine." she whispered, barely audible.

"Yuuki," he laughed, "My dear, Yuuki, you are my world; the most important thing in it. Ever since you walked into my life again I've struggled to not snatch you up and never let you go. At the townhouse the only thing that kept me away once I heard your sob was the fact that you might not want me."

"I'll always want you." she whispered again.

"Are you ashamed?" Kaname asked, hurt.

"No. Embarrassed. I shouldn't be saying things like this." she argued.

"Why?"

"This could all be hypothetical…?" she hoped.

"You are ridiculous." He chuckled, as he gradually closed the distance between them, shifting until he was sat on her right.

She refused to look at him. Her tear filled eyes were cast to the ground.

"Why are you crying?" he frowned.

"It's starting to hit me. That it might be true." she laughed.

"Of course it's true." he whispered, turning his head to her.

She looked up to gaze into his deep brown eyes but gasped once she realised how close he really was. Averting her head she stared at the floor, blushing hard. His snaked his hand under her chin and tilted her face towards him. Yuuki's heart picked up and her breath hitched as his head moved infinitesimally closer. She smiled nervously up at him.

"Start believing Yuuki." he urged, before crashing his lips to hers.

Sighing with happiness, Yuuki leaned into the kiss and allowed her lips to mould to his. His lips turned upwards into a huge grin, which she felt against her own skin. Slowly, their lips parted and closed in perfect synchronisation. Passionate yet gentle, the way their first kiss should have been. As his tongue traced her bottom lip she groaned in pleasure and allowed it entrance. In an extremely erotic gesture for a vampire Yuuki let her own tongue dance across his fangs which had elongated at her touch. A loud deep moan escaped from his throat and he grabbed Yuuki by the hips, forcing her to straddle his legs. She gladly obeyed. Ripping her luscious locks from its elastic restraint Kaname ran his hands amorously through it, worshipping the feel of each strand that slipped through his elegant fingers, while her hands found their usual place around his neck and they both groaned quietly in pleasure. Resting his hands on the small of her back, he pulled Yuuki closer, making up for lost time, as it were. Their kisses slowed as the need for that damn thing called oxygen became unbearable.

As logical thought entered her head once again Yuuki began to panic. _What the fuck just happened? What is going to happen from now on? I can't just be a part-time thing again. He says he wants me though…._

"I love you, Yuuki." Kaname whispered into her neck and she froze.

_He loves me. What if it goes wrong? What if he hurts me again? I won't be able to survive this time. But if he says he wants me and he loves me then he won't leave. But can I give up on all my insecurities to be with him? _

Yuuki pushed him off and stood up quicker than lightening. Kaname looked up at her, very confused and more than a little hurt.

"I thought you wanted this..." he chocked.

"I do." she answered "I need time, Kaname. Give me time." she whispered.

He nodded. "I'll wait forever, Yuuki"

_OH MY GOD! I'M STUCK IN THIS GOD FORSAKEN CLOSET WITH HIM!!! I CAN'T GET OUT!! FOOK!!!_

In her state of panic the 'erratic' surge of energy swept through the air around her and the heavy, wooden door blew off its hinges. Yuuki swept from the small room and sprinted to her room. In her run she pondered what to do next.

_I have two choices._

_Choice one: I could accept him. Give him my strengths, and weaknesses, my dreams and my nightmares, my joys and my fears and trust that it would all be safe in his arms. I could take that leap and love Kaname and let him love me. I could let myself be happy with the only man that could ever truly fulfil me and let me be myself, no matter who that may be, without feeling intimidated by what happened or whatever may happen in the future._

_Choice two: I could be too terrified to weaken myself for another person and refuse him. Refuse him, and the chance to truly be whole, to be happy and belong to someone who would keep me safe from all the people who did intend to cause me harm._

_If I gave him that second chance, I could finally become unbroken and undivided and become whole. Then again, I already knew who I was, and for the most part I liked who I was. Yet somehow I know that he would complete me._

Was it the kiss? Or the time apart? Whatever one it was, Yuuki knew that Kaname, in all his gorgeous splendour, had already made up her mind before she had even thought of the question. Now the only things circling ehr mind were questions that mocked her sanity and stupidity.

Why had it taken so long for her to realise his feelings and hers?

Why hadn't she listened?

Why was she running away from him now?

Why was this suddenly such an easy choice to make?

For after all, there could only be one answer. She only hoped that, in her confusion, she hadn't ruined it all.

* * *

**There you go peeps! They finally kissed again. Can anyone guess what her decision was? Of course you can that was insulting. Sorry. I hope you all liked it and instead of me babbling away like i did last chapter i'm just going to say one thing: PE IS SHIT!!! :D**

**I know i'm being greedy but review, review now....pweese? I love reviews they make me high! XD**

**Kita xxx**


	15. Chapter 15

**Hey guys sorry for the wait but it took me a while to write then Maddy's laptop wouldn't work so i couldn't get it beta-d anyhoo, this is an awesome chapter (even if i do say so myself) and i hope it's worth the wait. **

**Thanks for being so great and no don't worry this isn't the end. Enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter 15: Finally!!!**

"I fucking _hate _mornings..." Yuuki grumbled into her pillow.

After her 'encounter' with Kaname the previous afternoon, Yuuki had barely slept and what little sleep she did have could not have been called peaceful. Sitting up and leaving the comfort of her warm bed, she decided that she had better get dressed and start the day straight away since a lot of it had already been lost due to her new sleeping regime. Pulling on a thin, emerald sweater dress with a pair of black leggings, Yuuki made herself partially presentable and quickly brushed her teeth before going downstairs.

"Careful with that!" Akira cried to a burly man that Yuuki didn't recognise.

"Yuuki, finally! Look I know you're tired and everything but, seriously, do you have to sleep all day?" Akira giggled, before sprinting towards the garden.

"What's going on?" Yuuki asked no one in particular.

"Engagement party, tonight." Zero explained as he walked into the kitchen with his nose in a book.

"Wow! You sound _excited_." Yuuki mocked.

"Akira's got free reign on this one. Wasn't my idea anyway, but she wanted... so I gave." he mumbled.

"You've gone soft!" Yuuki laughed, and he narrowed his eyes at her.

"Where is everyone?" she asked before grabbing an apple from the fruit basket and taking a large chuck out of it.

"Akira's out back with someone or other, I'm here and so are you. The chairman is in his study being a teacher for once, Yori is helping Jamie by the car and Kaname is with the night class - sleeping." he counted off on his fingers.

Yuuki blushed as Kaname's name was mentioned but she was a little glad that he was still sleeping. At least this way she could put off any awkward meetings between them until she had her speech sorted.

"What are Jamie and Yori doing with the car? It hasn't blown up again has it?" Yuuki asked in horror.

"No, I think she's helping him with his bags." Zero mumbled, before re-immersing himself in his book and stalking off.

_Bags? What the fuck?_

Confused, as usual, Yuuki made her way out of the chairman's manor and out towards the garage. Creeping slowly around the building Yuuki soon came across low voices muttering to each other.

"I'm sorry about all this..." a timid female voice whispered, obviously upset.

"It's okay Yori, seriously. It just wasn't meant to happen; that's all. Promise you won't beat yourself up about it?" a soft voice replied, which Yuuki suspected belonged to Jamie. "I'll see you at school?" Jamie offered.

"Definitely, I'll come for my stuff as soon as I get back." Yori agreed, sounding a little happier.

"Well, you might be coming home alone if Yuuki and Kaname keep acting the way they are." Jamie joked, and they shared an uncomfortable laugh.

"Bye, Yori."

"See you around."

Yuuki furrowed her brow and stepped from her hiding place to see Jamie and Yori breaking from an awkward hug and Jamie getting into the drivers seat of a small blue car that Yuuki had never seen before.

Yori waved half-heartedly as the car drove out the gates and let out a very loud sigh.  
"Yori? Mind explaining?" Yuuki asked, stepping towards Yori.

Yori jumped as she turned to see Yuuki, looking slightly startled.

"Yuuki, you scared me! What did you say?"

Yuuki shook her head and headed for her friend.

"What happened? Did he dump you? Because if he did, I swear I'll hunt him down and turn him into a girl." Yuuki joked, and Yori let out a strangled laugh.

"It was a mutual agreement, Yuuki. We both knew that it was going to end sooner or later but still it's kind of hard to come to terms with. Before now I thought everything was fine... coming here sort of put things in perspective for the both of us." She explained in a very low voice. In fact, if Yuuki hadn't had the advantage of being a vampire she doubted she would have been able to hear her.

"Oh great! My house is the break-up place!" Yuuki exclaimed in mock horror.

"That's not what I mean..." Yori grumbled.

"Well pray tell, oh divine mistress of knowledge. Enlighten us lowly commoners so that we may do your bidding." Yuuki shouted, while getting on her knees and kissing Yori's feet.

Yori grinned and giggled furiously. "Give over, Yuuki!" she chastised, "I meant that being here and seeing how happy Akira and Zero are as well as you and Kaname (when you're not fighting) really showed us what we were missing..."

"Hold on a minute; me and Kaname? Are you sick too? Since when did that happen?" Yuuki panicked.

"Come on Yuuki, seriously. I'm your best friend. I've been with you since before the academy; I saw every look that passed between you and him in school and it's like watching an old home movie here. It's exactly the same. He loves you and you love him, don't you?" Yori accused.

"We… yes… but that's not the point…" Yuuki started, but she was interrupted by a very pleased voice.

"I'm sure Kaname would love to here you say that!"

"What?" Yuuki squealed, whipping around to find the source of the voice.

"Hanabusa-kun? What are you doing here? Oh my god! Are the night class awake? Is Kaname near?" Yuuki rushed in a babble of questions.

"Calm down, Yuuki-sama," Aidou replied calmly, "I just came to the house looking for my friends. No the night class are not awake yet, only me and Ichijou, but there's really not much difference there."

"Thank the lord for that!" Yuuki hollered to the sky.

"What does it matter anyway?" Aidou questioned, "You both love each other; why are you so scared of him finding out?"

"I'm not ready. I need a speech and everything... and maybe a few bottles of Dutch courage before I face him." Yuuki blushed.

"You are one strange girl, Yuuki-sama," Aidou shook his head as Yuuki grinned.

"Onto the main topic of conversation…" Yuuki announced, turning back towards Yori… who wasn't there.

"Where the fuck did she go?" Yuuki shouted, stunned. "Blimey that was quiet!"

Aidou snickered and Yuuki rounded on him, instantly. "What did you do?"

"Nothing!" he hastened to say, "Yori and I spoke this morning and she told me everything. I agreed to distract you once you found out so that she could sneak away and avoid your questions."

"Ah, you have learned well, young padawan!" Yuuki quoted, making Aidou laugh.

"I will find you, Yori!" she yelled towards the house. "-And when I do, I swear to whatever is up there, that this means _war_!!"

"Yuuki-sama? Can I ask you a question?" Aidou asked, looking grave.

"Why Yes!!!! I'm all ears!!!!" Yuuki hissed, turning her head and cupping her ear.

"Is your entire family on something?" He asked bluntly.

"Huh?" Yuuki replied, dropping her hand and looking at him, completely dumbfounded.

"Like drugs? You're all absolutely mental." Aidou laughed.

A figurative light bulb lit up above Yuuki's head and she joined him in his laughter.

Grinning, she gave Aidou a friendly hug.

"Yuuki-sama? What's this for?" Aidou panicked, looking around to make sure Kaname was nowhere in sight.

"Ever since I got here everything seems to be sorting itself out. I'm grateful that you made me laugh again... I think I've been sad for way too long." Yuuki explained with a smile.

"I think I know why too!" Aidou chirped, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Ooh! Tell me, tell me, tell me!!" Yuuki shouted, bouncing up and down on the spot like a small child.

"I think that the reason why everything is going okay is because of Kaname-sama." Aidou clarified.

"Say what know?" Yuuki gasped.

"Hear me out - I do talk sense every now and again." he pleaded.

"Okay..." Yuuki announced, suspiciously.

"Think about it. What happens every time you're near him? And I don't mean the insane sexual tension that is almost visible to everyone around…" He grinned.

Yuuki blushed furiously at his words but listened intently to what he had to say.

"You feel safe and complete? As if you've been missing something, something you didn't know you lost, until he fills the gap in your heart? You hate every fibre of his being, but love him with all your heart at the same time? When he touches you, your heart quickens, that much we all know. When he isn't looking you stare at him, just to remember a time when you weren't arguing. You smile or blush whenever he is mentioned and always seem to be grinning, a huge goofy grin, for no reason at all. Ever since you got here. Kaname's the reason behind all this, Yuuki-sama, and you know it too. You're scared to be with him, not because he might hurt you, because you might lose him. Am I right?" Aidou concluded.

"Oh my god!" Yuuki whispered, bringing her hand up to cover her mouth.

"What?" Aidou asked.

"That sounded intelligent!" Yuuki mocked.

"Hey! I resent that! I am a genius," he grinned, "Please? Tell me I'm right?"

Yuuki smiled, incredulously. "You're right!" she announced, "I can't believe that Hanabusa Aidou of all people talked sense into me!"

"Oh, and by the way, my advice costs a lifetime's servitude." Aidou laughed, and Yuuki joined him.

"Anything you want… _Master!" _Yuuki declared, as she bowed to him. "I've got to go now..." she added.

"You aren't running again, are you?" Aidou panicked.

"Run? Me? Never in a million years! I'm too lazy for that! Nah, I think I can feel the nervousness, excitement and anger coming from Akira because the party is in three hours and I'm nowhere near ready. If I don't go now she'll be after me with a pitchfork. She will cheer up in a while, when she gets to play dolls with me." Yuuki concluded.

"Dolls?" Aidou questioned, "Aren't you two a little old for dolls, Yuuki-sama?"

Yuuki rolled her eyes. "Not real dolls, baka. Akira likes to dress me up and perform makeovers whenever we go anywhere. It's almost as if she thinks I can't dress myself."

Aidou frowned.

"What's wrong?"

"Your shirt is on inside out!" Aidou pointed out.

Yuuki looked down and sure enough the tag was sticking out of her hip.

"Well, that's embarrassing!" Yuuki blushed.

"Go and get changed, Yuuki-sama. I will see you tonight. Ichijou is really looking forward to finally having a conversation with you. I haven't seen much of him lately, to be honest. I wonder what he is up to..."

"Nothing," Yuuki explained, "He's still hiding from Kaname. He doesn't really believe that he is forgiven."

Aidou chuckled. "Goodbye, Yuuki-sama." He nodded courteously and left.

Shaking her head in mild disbelief, Yuuki turned towards the house with a small smile on her lips and began humming quietly to herself.

"Yuuki? What the hell are you doing?" Zero asked, as Yuuki appeared in the kitchen.

"Erm… I think I'm walking to my room. But, I could be mistaken." she laughed.

"No. Idiot! I mean… what _are_ you doing? What the hell happened to you?" he narrowed his eyes at her and she suddenly felt self-conscious.

"Why? Oh my god! Do I have something on my back?" she gasped in horror, as she spun in circles trying to look at her back. Oddly, she resembled a puppy chasing its tail.

"No. I only mentioned it because you're skipping." Zero stated, still suspicious.

"Skipping? Really? Cool!" she grinned, before _skipping _off towards her bedroom.

"Strange child..." Zero muttered, shaking his head and turning towards the fridge.

Now in an extremely good mood, Yuuki started jumping up the stairs two at a time and singing very loudly.

"Yuuki? What the hell are you doing?" Akira chimed from the bottom of the stairs.

"You know, it's freaky how in sync you and my brother are," Yuuki exclaimed, whilst staring at the step in front of her. "He asked me that very same question not two minutes ago."

"Well, are you going to answer my question?" Akira giggled.

"Yes," she announced.

Akira looked at her expectantly but received no answer. "Any day now, Yuuki. It's not like I have an engagement party anytime soon."

"I answered it!" Yuuki frowned.

"No you didn't." Akira argued.

"I did. You said _'Are you going to answer my question?' _Which in itself is a question, and I answered it with a 'Yes'." Yuuki explained.

Akira's face dropped. "God, Yuuki, you can be so annoying sometimes."

"That's coming from a hyper-active sprite like you?" Yuuki said incredulously.

"Good point," Akira agreed, "But still - what are you doing?"

"Well…" Yuuki thought out loud, "I'm jumping up the stairs so that I can go and take a shower,"

"Shower?" Akira asked, confused.

"Yeah, it's this new thing. You stand in a small space and water comes out of a little pipe thing above your head and it makes you clean!" Yuuki mocked, grinning at Akira, who stuck her tongue out at the pureblood.

"I knew that, I was just wondering… why so early?" Akira replied, coldly.

"I was assuming that you and Yori, as well as the girls from the night class, would be helping me get ready as you so openly hate my fashion sense." Yuuki explained.

"I admit it has got better lately _but _you're still walking round with your shirt inside out!" Akira scolded, before Yuuki's words sunk into her. "By the way - yaaaaaaaaay!!!" she squealed as she realised what Yuuki had consented to and rushed to grab her hand and haul her up the stairs.

Giggling, they both ran towards the guest room where Yori was staying. Akira slammed her fist repeatedly on the thick, wooden door and started screaming for Yori.

"_YORI_! Get out here! C'mon we get to play dress up again!"

A loud, reluctant groan came through the door which caused Yuuki and Akira to burst out laughing.

"Seems Yori-chan hates it more than you do Yuuki." Akira said through giggles.

"It's not that..." Yori muttered, as she opened the door.

"What is it then?" Yuuki quizzed.

"Now I don't have anywhere to hide when you start asking questions..." Yori groaned again, and banged her head against the doorframe.

"Less of that," Akira chastised, "You will not get a great bruise on your forehead on the night of my engagement party,"

"Yori!" Yuuki said sympathetically, "If you don't want to talk about it you don't have to."

"Really?" she replied, hopefully.

"Really, Really" Yuuki assured her, giving her a quick one armed hug.

"Right, let's get this show on the road!" Akira shouted, rubbing her pale hands together in excitement. As the three of them made their way towards Yuuki's room, which happened to be the biggest room on the floor and complete with en-suite bathroom, Akira gracefully hung her upper body over the railing and screamed towards the kitchen.

"ZERO!!!!"

"Yeah?" he shouted back, tiredly.

"Can you, pretty please, go over to the night class dorm and ask Ruka-chan and Rima-chan to come over?" she pleaded, and it was clear she was using her famous puppy dog eyes upon him.

Yuuki and Yori both looked over the railing to see Zero coming out of the kitchen, looking very scared.

"Let me get this straight," he said, "You want me to go over to the night class dorm, at two in the afternoon on a _really_ sunny day and wake up two vampire girls. One of whom is a fashion model and the other a vain beauty queen, which would mean I suffer a slow and painful death at their hands."

"Think you can do that?" Akira grinned, mischievously.

"Can I take pictures of them sleeping and blackmail them with it later?" he enquired.

"Sure, anything you want." Akira nodded.

"Be back in a few!" Zero announced, and quite literally bounded out of sight.

"And he calls _me _weird," Yuuki murmured under her breath.

Akira seized Yuuki and Yori's hands and dragged her unwilling victims into Yuuki's bedroom before closing the door with a snap.

"Right - who's first?" Akira asked.

Yuuki gulped; the strange glint in Akira's eyes made her wish she could escape the torture as soon as possible.

"I vote shower!" she shouted, jumping from her seat on the bed and walking towards the bathroom door.

"Hold on a minute!" Akira stopped her and Yuuki cringed, not wanting to know what Akira had planned. "Give me a minute."

Akira then walked towards Yuuki's large, walk-in wardrobe and rummaging through one of her drawers.

"You know I could have anything in there!" Yuuki grumbled.

"Hardly, Yuuki, it's not like you're getting any action." Akira shouted back, making Yuuki gasp and blush tomato red.

"Akira!" Yuuki hissed, while her two friends giggled.

"Stop being so naïve, Yuuki," Akira chastised, "Make sure you wear these." she added, before tossing a small bundle of material to Yuuki.

"What is this?" Yuuki whispered, as she sorted through it.

Finally, separating the two items of clothing, Yuuki dropped her shoulders and stared at Akira as if to say: _You have got to be kidding me._

"Seriously Akira? Lace underwear?" Yuuki shook her head, "Who's going to see this?"

"That is not the point, Yuuki," Akira frowned, "A girl's confidence increases depending on what she wears and that _includes _underwear. Yori will be going through the same thing so stop grumbling and go and get in the god damn shower!"

"Fine!" Yuuki huffed, before storming into the bathroom and shutting the door.

"Yuuki, I'm putting on music," Akira called through.

_Yeah, yeah whatever! _She thought in response.

Turning on the water Yuuki soon heard a soft melody filtering through to her bathroom, although she couldn't identify the particular song. Akira more than likely had her Ipod on. She slowly performed her necessary shower routine and then stepped out of the stream of water.

Leaving the worst until last she reluctantly pulled on the red boy shorts and matching bra before cringing with disgust. Hastily covering herself with a fluffy pink bathrobe, she wrapped a towel round her head and stepped into the room.

"Right Yori, get in now." Akira commanded, as soon as she saw Yuuki emerge from the steamy room. Bundling another set of blue lingerie into Yori's unwilling arms, Akira shoved Yori in the bathroom and shut the door.

"About time too; we thought you'd drowned in there!" a voice laughed at Yuuki.

Yuuki turned to find the source of the voice and squealed like an over excited fangirl when she saw who it was.

Practically tackling the pair of them to the floor, Yuuki squeezed Rima and Ruka so tight it almost broke their bones.

"Oh, it's so good to see you guys! It's been like forever!" she grinned, finally letting the two vampires breathe again.

"We missed you too, Yuuki-sama." Ruka chocked, rubbing her ribs.

"You both look gorgeous by the way." Yuuki complimented, once she had taken a look at their outfits.

Ruka was wearing a fitted, mid-thigh pencil dress. It was jet black up until her waist when it became a cute, baby pink colour. It had capped sleeves, and she wore it with a pink bangle on her wrist and a pink, diamond chocker around her slender neck, as well as a pair of open-toed stilettos that were also pink. Ruka's long, dirty blonde hair, was strung up in a high ponytail and fell gently down her back. She was the epitome of perfection and she carried it off effortlessly.

Rima, on the other hand, looked a lot more casual.

She wore a plain white t-shirt covered by a sleeveless green dress with overly large pockets. Her dress hung a little lower than Ruka's, stopping just over the knees. Instead of her trademark ponytails her gorgeous red hair was hung loosely down her back, slightly back combed to give it the 'sex hair' look, as Akira would call it. Complete with ballet flats and a long chained heart pendant, Rima looked like she had just stepped straight off the runway. Now that Yuuki thought about it, she probably had.

"Thanks, Yuuki-sama. Wait, until you see your outfit; you'll overshadow us completely," Rima assured Yuuki.

"Highly doubt that," Yuuki uttered and shook her head.

At that moment Yori stepped out of the bathroom, looking slightly uncomfortable. That woman was all for speed today.

"Yay! My turn!" Akira shouted, "Then we can all get changed. We only have _two hours_ left and there's still Yuuki's hair to do!"

"It doesn't take that long, thank you very much!" Yuuki defended.

"No, but it'll take some convincing to get you and Yori dressed," Akira explained, before slamming the door shut with a loud bang.

"I really don't want to do this..."Yuuki groaned.

All the girls laughed and sat on Yuuki's bed, getting comfortable as they started chatting aimlessly about the night ahead of them.

About three minutes later each and every one of them squealed and jumped up from the seating positions as they heard their favourite song starting to play.

Yori ran over to Akira's docking station for her Ipod and cranked the volume up to maximum as all the girls started singing along.

At some point Akira emerged from the bathroom, hair soaked and hairbrush in hand, before she started belting out the words to the chorus at the top of her lungs. They all fell apart after this and so Yori turned the volume down. Akira clung to the wall for support and the others were rolling around on Yuuki's bed in hysterical laughter.

"Oh girly days in… can't beat them!" Yuuki grinned.

"True, but I'm sure we'd all like to be with our men instead," Ruka pointed out.

"I'll second that!" Akira yelled.

"Hey, do you mind?" Yuuki cried in outrage, pointing between herself and Yori.

"Two single girls over here, thank you very much."

"Three, actually." Rima reminded her.

Yuuki's jaw dropped. "Seriously?" she asked.

Rima nodded.

"You mean to tell me, that after _all _this time you and Shiki still haven't made out?" Yuuki almost yelled.

Rima nodded again.

"What is the world _coming _to?" Yuuki exclaimed, apparently in shock.

Rima giggled, as did Ruka and Akira.

"That will change tonight." Akira smiled, with the same all-knowing glint in her eyes. Yuuki smiled too, finally glad it wasn't her who they were scheming against.

"Time to get dressed, I think." Ruka suggested, and they all nodded.

"Yori first!" Akira ordered, and Yori dutifully stood up. Akira left the room and walked to her and Zero's room before coming back with a dark blue Lolita dress. It had black and white ribbons around the hem, neckline and waist and fell just above the knee. Thankfully, Yori loved it and rushed into the bathroom to put it on.

"Yay! I knew I did well in choosing that!" Akira grinned, proudly.

Yuuki just shook her head. Akira could be such a child when it came to clothes; she went completely mental whenever she went shopping. Yuuki pitied the shop assistants and anyone who got in her way.

When Yori emerged from the bathroom they all smiled at her. She looked so cute in that dress.

"Ruka, you do her hair; Rima, you're on make-up duty." Akira instructed, and they got to work, ushering Yori onto a small stool in front of the vanity and pulling out various brushes and products Yuuki never knew she had out of the drawers.

"Did you re-stock?" Yuuki asked Akira who replied with a look that said: _'Well, durr!'_

"Come with me, your outfit is in my room." Akira said softly, as she took Yuuki's hand and led her from the room. Yuuki took off the towel and shook her hair out so that the air could dry it a bit more.

Akira opened the door, ushered Yuuki inside and closed it quietly before walking silently towards her wardrobe. Only one little fraction of the huge closet belonged to Zero - the rest was filled to the brim with various items that Akira felt she just _had _to have.

Akira pulled out two dresses on hangers and laid them on her bed. One was red and the other was yellow.

"Custom made, just for us. We have to stand out," Akira explained.

Yuuki gulped audibly and Akira laughed: "They aren't _that_ bad."

And, in all honesty, they weren't. Sure, they were a _bit _slutty, but what's a party without a few cheap thrills, right? Akira had bought Yuuki a fitted, mid-thigh length dress which had a red skirt with white dots and a black hem. From the waist upwards was a white, nylon blouse with cap sleeves. To complete the look Yuuki had to wear a pair of white stockings with red hearts on them and a pair of black heels.

Akira had a yellow peasant dress with a petticoat that looked as if it belonged in a fairytale, with yellow ribbons for her hair. The skirt was mini but it had an underskirt to give a little more coverage. It also had white stockings and yellow stilettos.

"You know you'll look like goldilocks in that?" Yuuki joked.

"Oh haha, Yuuki, my sides are splitting." Akira mocked, but grinned at Yuuki nonetheless.

They both got dressed and complimented each other before tip-toeing back to Yuuki's room. In their absence Rima and Ruka had managed to finish Yori's look. Her short, blonde hair had been clipped back and spiked and her make-up emphasised her natural beauty. Yuuki grinned and hugged her friend, whispering encouraging words into her ear. Ruka and Rima scanned Yuuki and Akira before giving them both the approving nod they needed.

Akira straightened her own hair as Ruka did her make-up and Rima helped Yuuki do the same whilst her hair was left to its own accord.

Once they were finished Akira demanded a 'photo moment' and they managed to self-time the camera and get three good photos before they started acting like kids again.

The giggling subsided instantly when the doorknob turned.

"Oh hell no!" Akira shouted, before diving in the closet. Yuuki gasped and ran for the door, slamming into it and closing it just before it opened.

"Hey!" Zero shouted.

Yuuki sighed. "Akira it's your fiancé."

Akira came out of the closet (A/N: Do NOT mean it that way) and walked towards the door. Yuuki never let her weight off the door. It was all part of Akira's plan to have all the girls make a big entrance; something she was now explaining to Zero.  
"Well, just so you know everyone is here, _including_ your grandmother. Don't be too long." He announced, before trudging back down the stairs

Akira stood frozen in front of the door, staring in apparent fear at the wood in front of her.

"Akira, I thought you said none of your family approved of Zero?" Yuuki recalled.

"Everyone except my grandmother. She preferred me to all my sisters because I'm more like her. I never expected her to actually come. Oh no!" she groaned.

"You mean she's a deranged shopaholic with slight psychotic tendencies too?" Yori joked, and Akira relaxed.

"You're right, she's not that bad," she smiled, "Take a peak, make sure no one is there."

Yuuki did as she was told and opened the door just enough to poke her face between the gap and look directly down the stairs. She suddenly froze, as staring up at her from the front door was Kaname. However, one thing had changed since she was last with him - instead of the overwhelming urge to run and hide for a millennium she felt a strange pull towards him. He smiled tentatively up at her and she opened the door wider, sticking her head out and beaming widely at him, earning herself screams of protest from Akira and Yori, He looked shocked at first but then returned the smile before heading into the back garden where the celebration was being held.

"Yuuki! What did you do that for? I nearly had a heart attack!" Akira yelled, slightly hysterical.

"Is that even _possible_?!" Rima whispered to Ruka, who shrugged.

"Kaname was there, that's all." Yuuki explained, turning an impressive shade of red.

Ruka, Rima, Yori and Akira all looked at each other and let out a very loud _'Awww!' _and squealed in joy, before running towards Yuuki and embracing her in a very tight hug.

"Guys, can't breathe!" Yuuki wheezed, and they all let go immediately.

"You guys will make up soon, I'm sure of it." Rima announced.

"You and Shiki will get together sooner or later, I'll _make _it happen." Yuuki replied, making Rima blush too.

"Ladies and gentlemen, I am pleased to welcome you all today to this little gathering…"

The room was suddenly filled with a slightly hoarse, aged voice and Akira's face drained of all colour.

"Sweet Jesus, who gave that woman an amp?!" she shouted, before sprinting from the room.

Laughing, the rest of the girls left the room and descended the stairs. The 'grand entrance' Akira had envisioned was now ruined, but regardless everyone still looked great.

"Oh here is my granddaughter now! Akira, deary, why didn't you come and greet your guests?" Akira's grandmother chastised, making everyone laugh.

Akira skipped gracefully onto the stage and practically ripped the microphone from her grandmothers' hands.

"Thank you, obaa-san, that was very enlightening," Akira mocked, but luckily her grandmother didn't hear. "Before we do any speeches or anything embarrassing, why don't we have a few drinks and dance for a while? I'm sure everyone could do with a break. Enjoy yourselves people."

Akira handed the microphone to one of the hired help and walked back towards her friends.

"That was too close..." Akira sighed.

"Your grandmother seems nice," Rima offered.

"She is, but when you get her talking, she won't ever shut up." Akira warned.

"Kinda like you then!" Yuuki joked, earning a slap on the arm as they all laughed.

"Gomen people, but could I possibly steal my fiancée from you for a dance?" Zero asked politely.

"No, Zero." Yuuki laughed, "We're kidnapping her and you can never have her back."

"Give over Yuuki," Akira giggled, before taking Zero's hand and walking away.

"You're no fun anymore!" Yuuki shouted after them.

After a while of chatting and laughing with the girls, Yuuki scanned the room for a certain someone but couldn't seem to find him. Sighing, she returned her attention to her friends whilst sipping daintily from her blood tablet solution.

Looking over Rima's shoulder, Yuuki noticed someone that made her grin.

"Yuuki-sama, you have that evil look again. I'm scared!" Rima rushed before turning. She saw who Yuuki was staring at and turned back, blushing heavily.

"Let's drop it please, Yuuki-sama. He doesn't like me that way!" Rima whispered.

"Have you asked?" Yuuki questioned.

"No," Rima replied simply.

"Then I'll find out," she concluded, " Ruka, keep her here."

"Of course, Yuuki-sama." Ruka grinned.

"Evil, conniving little…" Rima grumbled.

Yuuki put down her drink and walked over to Senri Shiki before tapping him on the shoulder.

"Yuuki-sama, good to see you." he acknowledged.

"Remember the last time we spoke?" Yuuki asked, getting straight to the point. "I said to you that I was on to you, did you know what I meant?"

"Actually, Yuuki-sama, I didn't have a clue..." he admitted.

"I meant that I know you love Rima-chan."

Shiki was gob smacked, to say the least.

"How? What…? Since when?" he stammered.

"C'mon, everyone here already knew about it - you were just too stubborn to realise it. Admit it, you love her!"

"I do," he grinned.

"Finally!" Yuuki exclaimed, "A right answer. What would you do if I told you she loved you too?"

"If you weren't a pureblood… I'd slap you and tell you to stop torturing me with fantasies," Shiki rushed.

"Interesting idea… got to try that one time," Yuuki muttered out loud.

"Anyhoo... Ruka?" she shouted, "Bring Rima here please."

Ruka did as she was told. Rima struggled and fought, but eventually gave up in the end and allowed herself to be dragged towards Shiki and Yuuki. Shiki gazed intently at her head trying to fathom Yuuki's words as Rima examined her shoes.

"Rima, Shiki here has just admitted to me that he loves you," Yuuki told her, and Rima's head shot up, her eyes wide with disbelief. "Now, tell us all... Do you love Shiki?"

Slowly Rima raised her eyes to lock with his, which bore deeply into her soul. Rima gulped then courageously nodded her head.

"Now that's all over and done with... Shiki? Anything to say?" Yuuki finalised.

"Rima, will you dance with me?" he asked simply, with a huge smile on his face and she nodded, mirroring his smile perfectly.

Confidently, he took her hand and they walked into the centre of the dance floor. They began slow dancing whilst gazing into each others eyes. Every night class member in the room had a smug grin plastered upon their face.

"You are an unstoppable force of nature, Yuuki-sama," Ruka praised, "I raise my hat to you."

"You're not wearing a hat...?" Yuuki pointed out, like the idiot she was.

"It's a figure of speech, dumbass." Zero scoffed, before poking Yuuki in the sides, making her jump.

"Don't be mean, Zero." Akira scolded.

"Yeah, Zero, don't be _mean._" Yuuki taunted.

"Ladies and gentlemen I think we're all drunk enough for us to be able to start the speeches. May I present to you the happy couple, Akira Sato and Zero Kiryuu? C'mon guys, we're all waiting!" the chairman called from the little stage set up in honour of the event.

Akira and Zero both grinned before lacing their hands, parting the crowds as they made their way towards the stage.

Akira decided that she would go first.

"Hey guys, thanks for coming today. I'm so glad you all came to celebrate this with us - I can't begin to tell you how much it means to me. Zero... It's been two years since you quite literally fell into my world and I have never regretted the cracked rib I sustained from that day, or any other day that's passed since then. If someone had said to me then that I'd be standing here today, getting married to this total ass, I would have probably murdered them…" Akira's speech started.

Somewhere in the background Yuuki heard Akira's grandmother say:

"Disgusting language coming from a lady, pshh!" Yuuki could not help but giggle.

"Now, I can't imagine my life without you in it. I'm so glad you asked me to be your wife. Now I get to spend the rest of our lives with the most perfect man in the world. By the way, have I mentioned that I love you?" she finished, and earned a few _aww's _and applause's... and even a few tears. Zero swept Akira into a passionate kiss and then grabbed the microphone for his own speech.

Yuuki moved through the crowds and was soon at the back of the audience. As Zero started his declaration of unconditional love she gave a small smile of encouragement and left the area. She walked through the starlit darkness, through the trees and breathed in the evening air and peaceful atmosphere. She soon found herself at the same bridge where she had had held her conversation with Sara a few days ago. A strange sense of déjà vu over took her as she leaned against the railing and gazed into the water below.

"You know, it's slightly rude to skip your brother's speech, especially at his own engagement party," a husky voice joked.

Yuuki laughed quietly. "I've heard him memorising it so many times I could probably go in there and do it for him."

Kaname joined her laughter and came to stand beside her to stare into the watery depths below them. Yuuki turned so that her back was resting on the railing and shifted her stance to gain a better view of the man standing beside her. Sighing in happiness she also looked back at the pavilion where the celebration was taking place, just outside of the manor.

"Everyone is _finally _happy." Yuuki observed.

"Not everyone..." Kaname corrected her, and she gazed at him in confusion.

"I heard about Yori-chan's break-up; it must have upset her," Kaname explained.

"Oh yeah, I suppose, but she seems happy enough. That's the thing about Yori: she's never needed someone to rely on. It's one of the reasons why I love her." Yuuki smiled.

"Ah, love." Kaname joked in a mock voice, "It makes the world go round."

"I've just noticed something," Yuuki started.

"And what may that be, Yuuki?" he replied, shifting a little closer to Yuuki, thanking God that she didn't move away.

"Has anyone ever told you that you sound a lot like Yoda?" she asked.

Kaname stared at her then burst out laughing. Yuuki grinned and joined in; his laugh was infectious and seemed to brighten up the night around her. After a while their laughing subsided and they lapsed into a comfortable silence.

"Yuuki?" Kaname asked cautiously.

"Hmm?" she replied.

"Why did you run?" he finished, and Yuuki froze. This she didn't have an answer for.

"I needed time to think. I was scared..." she concluded, after a moments pause.

"Scared about what?" he quizzed.

"About what loving you would entail. I couldn't be sure if you would hurt me again." she whispered.

"Yuuki, I've told you once I've told you a million times, I will never hurt you again. Akira will make sure of that." Kaname urged.

"I didn't know that. I still don't and I don't think I can ever be sure if I will believe that it won't happen. That's why I needed time to think; to decide whether or not I could live like that." she replied softly, unsure about expressing her feelings so openly.

Kaname could not think of a comeback. What if she had decided she couldn't? Could he live without her in his life? He didn't want ask his next question for fear of a bad answer but he knew he had to know her decision.

"And what did you decide?" Kaname whispered, almost in despair.

"After thinking about all the bullshit we've been through, I really don't want any of that again. I decided that even after knowing I can't stand any more of it, I can't stand feeling the same sense of loneliness I feel whenever you aren't around. I decided that all my friends are right, I can't be without you but I agree with my conscience that I hate you at the same time…." She explained, heatedly.

"What are you saying, Yuuki?" Kaname interrupted, loudly, slightly annoyed.

"I love you, Kaname Kuran. I love you! And I need you around; I can live through all the bullshit as long as you're around." she expostulated.

_"_I love you too," he told her tenderly.

"Right, now that that's out in the open will you hurry up and kiss me again?" she pleaded.

He was only too happy to oblige.

Scooping Yuuki up into his arms, he clung to her like glue as she threw her arms around his neck and their lips locked in a heated kiss. Every argument and every down they had experienced along the road meant nothing now; they finally had each other and nothing would separate them now. As the sky clouded over and loud thunder sounded through the night, they did not pull apart. The rain fell and yet they still stood there, not letting go, just clinging on tighter and tighter.

"Finally!" Akira muttered from the marquee, where the party was coming to a close. "Hey guys, they finally made up!" she announced to the others.

All the night class came to gather around Akira and Zero as they looked over to the bridge and smiled.

"Whey!" Rima cheered.

"Aren't they cute?" Ruka asked the others. The general census seemed to be 'Yes' judging by all the nodding.

Akira grinned and cupped her hands around her mouth.

"Breathe much, Yuuki?" she yelled.

They all laughed when Yuuki unwrapped an arm from around Kaname's neck and stuck her middle finger in Akira's direction. Yuuki smiled against Kaname's lips, as did he, yet they did not separate.

"Honestly, Yuuki, if you ruin that dress, I'll haunt you for the rest of eternity!" she shrieked.

Finally, after what seemed like forever, the two purebloods came up for air and locked eyes.

"Maybe we should go back, now," Kaname suggested.

"Yeah, probably." Yuuki agreed.

Slowly they walked back towards the manor; their hands entwined. Kaname pulled Yuuki close and tenderly kissed the top of her head.

"Yuuki, your house is now the make-up place!" Yori joked and she giggled.

"Daddy!" Yuuki called, and the Chairman's head whipped around.

"Did she just call me daddy?" he asked, absolutely astonished.

Zero nodded at him, smiling.

Kaien then noticed Kaname and Yuuki holding hands as well as the huge, elated grins everyone else had upon their faces.

"Finally!" he huffed, "I've only been waiting _ten _years!"

"Daddy..." Yuuki repeated.

"Yes, darling?" he sang, tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

"I'm transferring back to the Academy to join the night class. Is that okay?" she asked.

The Chairman looked as if all his Christmas' had come at once. He pounced on Yuuki and started smothering her with enthusiastic hugs and kisses.

Kaname bent down to whisper in her ear, sending chills running down her spine. "I think that's a yes..."

* * *

**So what did everyone think? It finally happened YAAAAYYY!!!! It made me happy writing it. *sighs* Review please it makes me write faster. Love to Maddy for ebing such an amazing girl. We love yoooo!!!!**

**Kita xx**


	16. Chapter 16

**_Chapter 16: Dead memories._**

**_Hey guys! So So Soooo sorry about the wait but me and Maddy both had exams and it's shit i've had no free time to write for you guys. *Big grin* hope you can all forgive me. The good news is that i finish school on monday the better news is that i will have more time to write. _**

**_You may notice some of the material is taken from Ms. Hino's manga, from the bonus chapter so credit goes out to her creative genius for allowing us mere mortals to toy with her creations. We all love you!_**

_**VampireMaddy is the best!!!!!!! Enjoy!**_

_Slowly, her vision cleared. The dull, dark brown panelling of the lower part of the walls came into sharp focus and the white, patterned upper parts shone into the windowless room. The bright, oil lamps that hung on the walls cast a warm light that sent flickers and shadows across the surrounding walls._

_She turned and her eyes fell upon a quiet couple talking softly to each other in the centre of the room. _

'This has to be a dream'_ Yuuki thought_

_Shaking her head, trying to clear the strange sense of déjà vu that threatened to overwhelm her, she cautiously made her way towards the two small brunettes. She tried to remain as quiet as she could, even though she subconsciously knew that the people in front of her would not know she was there. _

_Yuuki gasped and clamped a hand to her mouth. Sitting delicately in front of her, staring fondly down at the floor was none other than Yuuki's mother, Juuri. Her luscious chocolate curls hung elegantly down her back as she sat comfortably in the chair. _

"_I can smell the rain." she announced casually._

"_Schmell the rain…? Do you dislike the rain mommy?" a small chirpy voice asked, intrigued by such an ambiguous sentence._

_Yuuki whipped round and swayed slightly upon the spot. Once she had recovered her balance she stared down at a tiny, adorable girl who could be no more than three years old. Yuuki smiled at the younger version of herself; it was amazing how much had stayed the same over the years. Even though the small child's features were more rounded and innocent than the features she possessed now it was easy to tell who she was. Everything from the eye colour and the shape of her nose were identical._

"_Yes. I hate it. I really hate it…" Juuri sighed in reply. "It makes an unpleasant memory feel very real because it makes me think of a certain somebody who irritated me so soooooo much."_

_The younger version of Yuuki cocked an eyebrow and frowned at her mother as a look of pure annoyance and irritation flitted across her features._

"_And yet," she continued, "at the same time it's a bit of a sweet memory as well so I hesitate…"_

"_Hmm…?" both Yuuki's chorused. The nineteen year old version mentally chastised herself for getting too involved in a dream._

"_It's a story from when your mother was much muuuuch younger. Come here, Yuuki." she beckoned as the young child stood up and shuffled over towards the chair. Juuri immediately picked her daughter up off the floor and placed her gently on her knee. Before continuing she gently squeezed Yuuki's sides making her giggle with delight and rubbed their noses together._

_Yuuki's heart panged. She had had an amazing mother but thanks to that man she had been robbed of a childhood she rightly deserved. Water pooled in her eyes but they did not shed. Dreams were no place for tears._

"_I'm going to tell you a story that happened a long time ago between your father and me. It was back in another time now… long gone… so long ago that now the memories are shrouded in a veil of mist…" she began sadly, lamenting the loss of happier times._

"_I was out shopping with friends one day. It was a normal day, same as every other but the only difference was that it was raining." the younger Yuuki gazed up at her mother with adoration and interest; the older Yuuki stared on with confusion and sadness. How could she have lost memories of such a wonderful woman?_

_Juuri had a far off look in her eyes as she recalled the event for her daughter and she smiled with fondness as she carried on with her tale._

"_My friends squealed when they saw the water and started asking around for umbrellas but none of them had brought them. One asked me if I had one but as I reached down to get it I realised it wasn't there…" she chuckled softly and the young Yuuki gasped as if she had just heard the biggest scandal of the century.__"I remember I had hunted everywhere in my house that morning and had not found one umbrella."_

_Yuuki giggled softly and buried her face into the crook of Juuri's neck before sighing contently. _

"_My friends started fussing and practically dragged me under theirs but once I pointed out that we were heading in different directions they gave up and we parted. Your father had been hiding behind a wall nearby and as soon as I was within arms reach he put an umbrella above my head."_

"_Yay! Daddy found the nambrella's!" Yuuki cried in delight and clapped her tiny hands together. Juuri laughed softly and placed a soft kiss on her daughter's forehead. "But guess what mommy did next?"_

"_What? What?" Yuuki huffed._

"_I knocked it away and walked off into the rain."_

"_Oh no! Naughty mommy!" Yuuki scolded and tapped her mother's leg._

"_He did it again and again so I shouted at him. I pointed out that it was still daytime so he should just behave and stay in bed instead of following me around and I told him off for hiding all the umbrellas. He is the only one I know who would hide umbrellas like that!" she explained in a soft voice that was saturated in love and devotion._

"_Naughty dada!" Yuuki chimed,_

"_Yes. Naughty dada," Juuri agreed. "But all your father did was smile at me. I called him names and yelled at him but he never fought back. This made me even angrier so I turned round and was just about to yell some more when I saw him put the umbrella down and stand in the pouring rain. He was always so nice and kind, always trying to get me to give in and forgive him and I hated him for it. It was always like he had something to say to me but he would never just say it; instead he would try and prove his love in weird and warped ways like hiding the umbrellas. I told him that and do you know hat he said, Yuuki?" she finished._

"_What?" she replied happily._

"''_It's because I want to share an umbrella with you'. That was it. Plain and simple. Unfortunately by then we were both completely drenched but I still didn't believe him…" she sighed, seeming as though she was mentally telling herself off for her actions._

"_Mommy? What's 'share a nambrella...'?" Yuuki interrupted._

"_Well that's…" Juuri started to explain but cut off when there was a noise from above them. "Oh hey! Your father and brother are back. Perfect timing, I'll show you what it is…"_

_Juuri quickly yet gently placed Yuuki back on the floor, placing a finger over her lips, signalling Yuuki to keep quiet as she tiptoed towards the door. The child Yuuki giggled and hid behind the arm of the chair._

_In that instant the older Yuuki was no longer viewing the scene as a bystander but instead saw two tiny hands come up to her eye level as she peered over the arm of the tall armchair. She was her younger self._

_The door to the living room opened and two men walked in. Unfortunately the only one in Yuuki's eyesight was her father, Haruka, as he shook excess water from his long mahogany hair. _

"_We're home Juuri, Yuuki. We caught some rain on our way home. Do you mind if we leave the umbrella to dry in the living ro--"_

_He was cut off when Juuri darted to his side and pulled the umbrella above both their heads. The rain water dripped off the edge and onto the clean floor but neither one seemed to notice or care. _

"_Here, Yuuki." Juuri giggled. "That's what it is."_

_Yuuki clambered onto the high chair and stared wide eyed at her parents. _

"_I'm not sure what's going on but I'm so happy Juuri. By the way, what a lovely outfit you're wearing…" he trailed off, smiling at his wife._

"_I'm happy too, Haruka." she whispered._

_She nuzzled her head into the crook of his neck and he placed delicate kisses on her forehead and in her hair. They looked so content. _

"_Aww…" Yuuki cooed._

"_Don't tell me you want to become like them when you grow up, Yuuki?" a gentle voice spoke softly to her from behind her back._

_Although the young child did not look back, the older, dreaming Yuuki desperately tried to get even a glimpse of the person she never knew but so desperately needed._

"_Hai, onii-sama, I want me and you to be that happy and cute as well!" she replied childishly._

"_One day…" he whispered._

Yuuki jolted awake and stared at the dark ceiling above her. She shifted her weight ever so slightly and stared at the sleeping form next to her. Kaname lay face down on their double bed, one hand rested under his pillow whilst the other reached out towards her. Yuuki herself had been sleeping on her back as her own body unconsciously, inclined towards him. The exposed skin on his back glistened slightly as a ray of sunshine broke through the curtains and fell onto his perfect skin.

Despite both their wishes nothing had actually happened in their shared bed… yet. Unfortunately for them both every time they had even tried to do something, _anything_ in fact, someone had to go and have an emergency. This had led to a very grouchy Rima, a battered Kain and a very disturbed Aidou. Yuuki smiled slightly as she recalled her classmates and friends and carefully pushed a stray lock of hair out of Kaname's face so she could gaze at his beautiful and relaxed face.

Being careful not to disturb him, she pushed the sheets off her body and climbed out of bed. The cold air hit her and she shivered slightly but soon grew accustomed to it. Stretching, she rearranged her tank top and shorts before moving towards the window and pulling back the curtains slightly. The sun hurt her eyes causing her to squint but also allowing her eyes to roam across the green expanses of Cross Academy. She had been back in school, officially, for just over a week and she had realised that she had greatly missed everything about her home. She was glad to be back. This time - for good.

"Yuuki? What are you doing up?" a hoarse, sleepy voice asked through the silence.

Yuuki jumped and whipped around to face her… lover? Boyfriend? What the hell was Kaname to her anyway? Ah, what the hell.

"Kaname!" she whispered happily. "Sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"Yuuki, don't be silly. I get to see your face again. Why on earth would I mind?" he smiled back, holding out a hand as she climbed back onto bed next to him.

Yuuki blushed and took his hand.

"Are you going to tell me what you were doing up?" he quizzed jokingly, not really pushing, but just reminding her that he was always there for her.

"Just a dream. It woke me up." she shrugged, nonchalantly .

"Nightmare?" he frowned.

"No it was a good dream." she explained, staring at their entwined hands. "It was about my parents"

"Oh?" Kaname pressed.

"It was nothing really… Well, nothing important, just a story she once told me and her and my father." she finished, shaking her head.

"Are you okay?" Kaname asked.

"Yeah, just tired. Let's go back to sleep." She offered.

"Gladly…" Kaname mumbled, making Yuuki laugh.

Kaname rolled onto his back and pulled Yuuki with him. She curled into his side and let her hand rest on his warm chest. She pulled her face up to his and gently placed her lips over his. He smiled into the kiss and moved onto her cheeks, nose and forehead. She giggled sleepily before letting her head drop onto his shoulder, and after a few minutes silence they both drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

"Hey guys!" Yuuki announced cheerfully as she and Kaname walked into the living room of Cross manor together.

"Hey Yuuki!" Akira shouted from her usual place upon Zero's lap. "Hey Kaname!"

Kaname just grunted in her general direction before dropping lazily on the sofa and spreading his long legs along the length of the sofa.

"Geez, Kuran. Take up much room?" Zero joked.

"Not as much room as your head does" Kaname retorted

"What's up, Kaname-sama?" Aidou asked as he sauntered lazily into the room and dropped onto the carpet in front of the TV.

It seemed Yuuki decided to answer for him.

"I had a weird dream which woke him up too and we've just found out that once he's awake he doesn't get a very good sleep. Poor baby is just a bit tired…" Yuuki cooed, patting Kaname's shoulder gently.

He took this as a sign and sifted his weight onto his elbow and allowed her to sit where his head had been so he could place it in her lap. He sighed happily and closed his eyes as she ran her hands through his smooth hair.

"What's up?"

Rima and Shiki had walked into the room and Rima looked around, expecting an answer to her question. Yuuki stared incredulously at the group of vampires in her room.

"Why is my house suddenly the new meeting place?" she wondered aloud.

Everyone just laughed.

"We could always go back to the room…?" Kaname whispered so quietly no one else could hear.

"So you can sleep?" Yuuki joked.

"I had other things in mind…" he teased with a wink of his eye

"Yeah, like _that_ could happen. We hardly ever get time alone!" she huffed.

"I know, love, I know," he cooed, nuzzling into her stomach.

"Anyway, what's on?" Rima asked again.

"MTV…" Zero groaned.

"Shush, Zero!" Akira frowned, "You know you love it really!"

"Yeah, yeah."

They fell into silence as the news came on.

"Why are we watching this?" Kaname groaned sleepily. Ever since Yuuki had come back to Cross academy he had begun acting more like her rather than his usual stony pureblood self. The Night Class had noted the change and gladly accepted. He just seemed a lot more _human _nowadays. It was ironic that it had taken another pureblood to do it.

"It's either this or 'The little house on the prairie'!" Akira laughed.

"Oh!! Little house on the prairie! Little house on the prairie!" Aidou chorused excitedly, looking like an animated child.

From behind him an annoyed Shiki reached out and slapped Aidou on the top of his head.

"Seriously, do you _have_ to act so gay?!" he muttered.

"I'm not gay!" Aidou wailed. "I just appreciate the classics."

"Whatever, loser." Rima announced, pulling Shiki back to sit with her. Yuuki noticed that their hands were joined and she smiled.

"Has anyone seen Yori-chan?" Aidou inquired as a slight blush tinted his cheeks

Akira looked at Yuuki whilst Yuuki looked at her and they both grinned excitably.

"She's upstairs in her room!" they chorused.

"Do you think she would mind if I went to talk to her?" he asked sheepishly.

"No-pe!" Yuuki shouted.

"Go right on up!" Akira added.

"Thanks." he mumbled before walking quietly out the room.

"What the hell was all that about?" Zero grumbled.

"Did you see him blush, Yuuki?!" Akira squealed, jumping off Zero who left out a soft 'oof' as she shifted her weight.

"Yeah I did!" Yuuki grinned back.

"This is great. Aw, they will be so happy together. I can just tell!" Akira sang as she danced around the room. Yuuki laughed as she watched her soon-to-be-sister-in-law pirouette on the rug in the centre of the room.

Just then Kaien walked into the room and laughed loudly. "Ah! Akira, sometimes I worry about you."

Everyone in the room, including Akira, stared at him.

"Like _you_ can talk old man," Zero told him. "You're worse than her _any_ day."

"Am not!" he retaliated.

"Then why are you wearing a kitty apron?"

"Isn't it cute!" he squealed

Akira froze and stared at him. Kaiens body appeared to lock in position as he saw the look in her eyes. Want.

"No! NO YOU CAN'T HAVE IT!!!" he shrieked and darted from the room. Akira skipped after him.

"Daaaadddyyyy!!!! I want that apron. Where the hell are you??" she shouted.

"He's not her dad too, is he?" Rima asked dumbly.

"No, baka!" Shiki teased. "Since Yuuki-sama won't call him it, he trained Akira to do it instead."

"My fiancée is not a dog, vampire." Zero snarled.

"Zero, be nice." Akira chastised as she came waltzing victoriously back into the room with the pink apron slung over her shoulder. Out in the hallway they heard the chairman weeping.

They all laughed and lapsed back into a comfortable silence. Kaname shifted and sat up next to Yuuki who shuffled into his side.

The news reader droned on and on in a fake, chirpy voice.

"_Finally on today's show… sources close to this year's hottest couple actress Angelina Jolie and her long term boyfriend, Brad Pitt, have just announced that they will be getting married late next year. Our congratulations go out to the happy couple…." _

Akira frowned and put the TV on mute. "Aren't they purebloods?" she asked Kaname.

"Yes." he answered.

"They're brother and sister too, you know." Rima piped up.

"Well, yeah, but isn't that normal within pureblood families?" Akira quizzed.

"Yeah, I think so. My mother and father were brother and sister." Yuuki explained.

"As were mine." Kaname agreed.

"Well I think it's gross!" Zero cringed, "It's sick."

Yuuki and Kaname both shot him an angry glare.

"Don't look at me like that, Yuuki." He grumbled quietly.

"Shut up Zero. They do what they must to carry on the bloodline. Remember, no offence guys, but they are kind of a dying species." Akira explained.

Yuuki snorted "You know right then you sounded exactly like the council!" she chuckled as Kaname nodded. He was frowning but Yuuki had not noticed.

"What do you think of the matter Yuuki?" a soft voice questioned.

"When the fuck did you get there?!" Zero shouted at Ichijou who was casually standing behind the sofa

"When the news was on." he replied nonchalantly "Yuuki…?"

Yuuki noticed that Kaname's arms had tightened around her and his whole body was tense.

_Probably thinking of the idea of me with another man… _she guessed with an inward shrug.

"I…I don't really mind as long as they're not forced to marry. It's normal, after all. I think that it's kinda sweet. If they were raised together then despite all the love that they feel in the non-platonic type way there will always be some level of familial commitment. Most people like knowing that the person they love will be there for them through everything…" she pondered aloud. Most of the room nodded – only Zero remained shaking his head and Kaname had not moved. "Anyway, they usually aren't raised intended as just brother and sister, more like they're betrothed and all that jazz."

"What if they aren't raised together?" Kaname asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

Yuuki tilted her head to look at him and frowned at his blank face. "Hmm…? I actually think that would be better. It happens to normal humans too. It would make it all seem so destined and meant to be, you know? If you are raised knowing who you'll marry it feels a bit obligatory but meeting them under anonymous circumstances makes it seem more like fate and more romantic… as if they were drawn to each other." She finished, before laughing softly. "It all seems kind of magical. When I was human I used to think that all purebloods were part of a fairytale, because they were just so beautiful."

"Yeah, right." Zero snorted. "You based that opinion on the only pureblood you knew at the time and guess who that was? Yeah, the guy you've been in love with since forever and whose hand you are holding now. I give you Kaname Kuran!"

Everyone laughed and the conversation came to an end. They all turned back to the TV and Yuuki felt Kaname's body relax behind her. She smiled.

After a few minutes of channel hopping, Yuuki's eyes began to wander away from the screen. The fire was unlit but a few cinders still glowed faintly from the night before. The paintings that hung on the walls depicted a lonely woman in a field of poppies and a water colour sunset. Her gaze flitted to the open window and the curtains fluttered lightly in the breeze. They fascinated her for some reason. As the curtain fell back into place it revealed something sitting on the dusty window-ledge. A rose in a glass vial. The same vial she had been found with on that snowy night all those years ago. Yuuki gasped audibly and she heard a faint cry of her name before her vision went hazy.

"_Onii-sama is still not home?" she cried. Yuuki was wedged between her mother and father on the large sofa as she quietly read a book.__The young Yuuki smiled contently and hummed a low song._

_Yuuki watched as her father leant forward and gently reassured her younger self. "He should be back soon."_

"_Yuuki really likes her onii-sama." Juuri chuckled._

_The doorknob rattled and she placed the book upon the table in front of her before launching herself at the door. _

"_Welcome home, onii-sama!" she shouted. _

_As soon as it opened and the young boy stepped into the room. Yuuki wrapped herself around his torso and gripping him tightly to her. The body shook with low chuckles as he picked her up gently and walked them to the other sofa._

"_I'm home Yuuki…" he whispered to her before placing her on his knee. She wriggled to pull herself even closer, taking in his warm scent. _

_Their parents watched them fondly as the boy started telling Yuuki about his day._

"_I saw a rose that only blooms once every ten years. But it would have withered if I had brought it back here. Next time I'll harden it with resin when it blooms." he told her._

"_Is it beautiful, onii-sama?" she questioned adoringly._

"_Hai." he answered simply._

"Yuuki? Yuuki! Oh my gosh, are you alright?" came a frantic voice from in front of Yuuki.

Akira was staring intently into Yuuki's eyes; her own were filled with concern and apprehension.

"What?" Yuuki frowned.

"You just gasped and zoned out. You're so pale and you look like you're going to cry. What happened?" Akira flapped.

"Erm… I'm not sure… must have just been daydreaming again or something." she lied smoothly.

"Really? Is that all?" Akira accused.

"Yep!" she laughed. "Sorry it wasn't more serious."

Akira sighed "Okay. Don't do it again; you gave me a heart attack!"

Akira went and sat back down onto Zero's lap and everyone else settled back down and stared at the TV screen.

Yuuki bit her lip and sighed in relief. _What the hell had just happened? It's just like last time when I was dreaming about my mother_. Yuuki shuddered. _There was so much blood…_

After a few minutes silence, and much fidgeting on Yuuki's part, she excused herself from the room. She grabbed the glass vial and walked as quickly as she could back to her room at the moon dorm.

She pushed the door open violently and slammed it shut after her. The tears she had been holding in spilled slowly down her pale cheeks and she sobbed for the life she never had and the brother she still didn't know. Carelessly she flung herself, face down, onto the bed and buried her face into the pillow whilst trying to muffle her sobs.

A tiny creek alerted her as somebody came into the room. Yuuki stiffened but relaxed when she heard a soft murmuring against her ear.

"Shh, Yuuki, it's okay. Everything's fine. Don't cry…" Kaname comforted her, rubbing small patterns into her back.

Yuuki scrambled to her knees and grasped onto Kaname's shirt tightly. Burying her face into his chest she quickly soaked his shirt with the tears she had been holding in for days. He sympathetically wound his strong arms around her and pulled her close, knowing that right now all Yuuki needed was support until she wanted to talk about it.

"K-Kaname, please, I need to know them. I miss them so much. W-will you h-help me?" she wailed.

"Help you with what?" he replied softly.

"I need to know who my parents were. I need to find out if I actually had a brother. Please, say you'll help me!" she sobbed.

Kaname cringed and loosened his grip on Yuuki.

"Yuuki, I don't think that is such a good idea." he replied hesitantly.

"Why not?" she demanded, as sadness gave way to anger. "Is it because of my brother?!"

"No."

"Then what? Why won't you help me?" she shouted hysterically.

"Yuuki, calm down please!" he begged.

"No! Why won't you help me find out who I am?! Don't you even _care _about my happiness?!" she bellowed.

"Yuuki," he replied sharply, "Your happiness means _everything_ to me."

She stopped shouting and collapsed onto him as her tears overwhelmed her.

"Please…?" she begged.

"Go to sleep Yuuki..." he told her.

"Please…?"

"Sleep." he ordered and placed a hand upon her forehead.

Immediately she was swamped by an exhaustion that was not her own.

_Damn pureblood!_ She thought angrily. _I won't forget this!_

"I'll find out…" she slurred before drifting off into unconsciousness.

"One day you will." he whispered, before closing his eyes too. "Soon, my Yuuki…"

* * *

**_There you go. Chapter 16 has finally came to an end. I hope you all like it. Review and let me know?_**

**_Just to clear things up this story hasn't ended. It has a good few more chapters to come so don't worry. I'll be talking to you sooner or later. Hopefully sooner...sorry again for the wait. It doesn't help that i'm a really slow typer and constantly spell things wrong. Bye!!_**

**_Kita xxxx_**

* * *


	17. Chapter 17

_Hey guys!!! Since i finished school two weeks ago (Yay!!!) i've had about a zillion hours free time so i decided to be nice and write another chapter! Hopefully you guys aren't getting bored with this story. I know it has taken a while to get to where i am now but i needed to spread it out a bit. Unfortunately there won't be many chapters left. Only a few loose ends to tie up. Just a quick message to **Saggitariusleo **and this is not mean in a mean, angry "i hate you" way i'm just responding to the fact that you said "i think the pace is a bit slow"...i agree it is going kind of slow but i want to point out that not many girls want their boyfriend to just blurt out that they are their brother...it would kind of freak me out. It needs to go slow so that she doesn't scream and run away because no one once that....._

_Ok i'm done now....any questions i'll gladly answer and i just want to say again to saggitariusleo that my message is not meant in a mean way...you know i love you!!!_

_Enjoy guys and i hope you don't hate me for the wait! :D xxx_

_

* * *

_

_Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock._

The old grandfather clock in the corner of the room chimed as the hands reached 4pm. The noise echoed across the silence room. Following the pendulum with her eyes as it swung from side to side, was a very bored Yuuki Cross.

"Ne, Kaname I never realised how boring your job is…" she sighed.

The dark haired vampire cast her gaze towards the ornate mahogany desk, behind the couch she was currently curled up on, and stared expectantly at the elegant man sitting behind it.

Kaname looked up from the page he was studying and smiled lovingly at Yuuki.

"Job?" he quizzed mockingly.

"Oh, you know what I meant; don't be so mean!" she pouted, before gracefully rising to her feet and sauntering over to him. She slowly wrapped her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder, to allow her to look at the page too.

"I would never be mean to you, Yuuki." he assured her, to which she raised an eyebrow in question.

"–Intentionally." he corrected.

Yuuki nodded her head in agreement and then frowned at the paper in front of them both.

"What are you doing _this_ time?"

"Nothing of importance," he replied nonchalantly, "It may be boring but I must do it."

"Because you're a Kuran…?" she asked.

"Yes; apparently I didn't read the small print on the application." he joked, to which she giggled, causing a smile to spread upon his face

"So cute…" he whispered, before capturing her lips in a kiss.

Once he pulled away Yuuki blushed furiously but grinned nonetheless.

"Do you ever wish you had someone to take over for you? Share the burden? You know, like a brother or sister?" she inquired politely.

Kaname closed his eyes and the smile faded from his face. To an outsider it would look as if he were in immense pain. Without warning he rose quickly, yet fluidly, from the chair and turned towards the curtains which revealed the darkening sky, all the while leaving Yuuki standing there, dumbstruck and worried.

"Kaname, I'm sorry… I didn't mean to upset you." she implored.

"No, Yuuki, you have nothing to apologise for." he promised kindly.

"Then what's wrong? Are you hurt?" she gushed, running over to him and hugging his waist tightly.

"No, Yuuki, I'm not."

"Tell me, please. I want to help!" she whispered, pleading.

"I had a sister once." he stated bluntly.

Yuuki gasped and backed away from him. Cautiously, he turned to face her and once his chocolate orbs locked with hers, he began scanning her face to determine her reaction to the news. All he saw was a blank expression, devoid of response.

After a few minutes the shock had worn of and Yuuki shook her head. "A sister?"

"Yes," he whispered.

"But…no one has ever mentioned to me that the Kurans had a daughter." she said confusedly.

"No, they wouldn't. My parents and I tried to protect her, so no one was ever told of her. Even now only I, and now you, know of her." he explained.

"A sister?" Yuuki repeated in disbelief. "Wow!"

Kaname remained silent as she processed the information. Slowly, her blank expressionless features contorted into a deep set frown.

"Hold on a minute. A sister? Don't pureblood families intermarry? Why were you engaged to Sara? Why are you with me if you have a sister? Shouldn't you be engaged to her?!" she chocked out, tears springing to her eyes.

"Oh God, Yuuki! Don't cry!" Kaname rushed in a panicky voice, running to her side and scooping her into his arms. He led her to the sofa where she had been sitting and pulled her onto his lap. "Weren't you listening?" he joked. "I _had _a sister." he added solemnly.

"Wha-What happened to her?" Yuuki asked, as she suppressed the apparently uncalled for tears.

"She was taken from me a long time ago by someone I knew. My parents and I hid her. I was supposed to find her and bring her back into our world, but the man we had protected her from got to her before I could. I won't lie to you Yuuki… we _were _betrothed, and for a long time after I had lost her I thought I would never be able to love again. She was everything to me." he explained softly, his voice filled with sadness and longing.

He shifted in his seat and pulled Yuuki round to face him, gazing intently into her eyes.

"But then you came back in my life, Yuuki." he said, smiling warmly. "Now it feels as if the years I spent alone mean nothing. Nothing will take you away from me. Ever."

Yuuki scanned his eyes for any signs of a lie or hesitation but she found none, and so she nodded silently at him. His eyes close in relief and he pressed his soft lips to the skin upon her forehead.

They sat like that for a long time. The sky outside darkened, casting the last rays of sunshine over the green landscapes of Cross Academy.

Lost in her thoughts, Yuuki made no effort to move from her comfortable position, although something was bugging her. It was as if she knew she should say something without knowing what she was about to say.

The frustration grew and her brain continued to sort through the new information. Kaname had a sister but she was taken from him a long time ago and now he was with Yuuki. They were betrothed, like in any other pureblood family, but he had to bare the pain of losing his sister.

Yuuki gasped loudly. "Yuuki, what's wrong?" Kaname frowned.

"Kaname, I need to find my brother!" she half-shouted.

"Yuuki? What are you talking about?" he questioned. "You still don't even know if you _have_ a brother!"

Yuuki sprang up from his lap and started to pace before him.

"Kaname - don't you _get_ it? Yes, I know there is a possibility that I'm going insane and I don't really have a brother… but there is also a chance that I do, and I really think I do. I can't explain – It's just a gut feeling I guess. Anyway, if I do, you have to take into account that he lost me too. Just like you lost your sister; I could see in your eyes how much pain it has caused you to be away from her. I wouldn't be able to live with myself if my brother is in the same amount of pain and I didn't do anything about it. I _have_ to find him!" she rushed, talking at an extremely fast pace in her determination.

Kaname sighed, which caught Yuuki's attention and caused her to stop her ramblings. Kaname left the sofa and walked to the opposite side of the room.

"Yuuki…" he whispered. "Do you love me?"

Yuuki's eyebrows raised in confusion. "What? Of course I love you! You know I do. Why would you ask when you already know that?" she cooed lovingly.

"Think about what you are saying. What do you know about pureblood families?"

"Not _much_, considering I was raised human, but I do know that most purebloods marry their siblings' just like when you said that… oh!" she trailed off, recognition in her eyes.

"Do you see now?" Kaname laughed darkly. "It may turn out that you are already betrothed to your brother, which means that we could not be together. It could even be worse; meeting your brother may change your opinion of me. Perhaps you would not want me the way you do now…" he sighed, before hanging his head.

Until now Yuuki had never seen Kaname look so vulnerable. She smiled warmly before walking towards him. As she positioned herself in front of him he continued to look away from her eyes.

Laughing softly at him, she reached her hands up to cup the sides of his face and forced him to look down at her.

"Kaname…" she whispered. "I love you. No one else. We've been through so much - _too_ much. I will never give you up without a fight. Never doubt how I feel about you. I've loved you for as long as I can remember. Is this all because you think that I would leave you?"

His sad eyes stayed glued to her loving ones as he nodded sheepishly. "Yuuki, I can't lose you ever again." he whispered.

"You won't." she promised, and the determination in her voice made him start to believe her. However the little voice in the back of his brain still that reminded him that she did not know the truth… yet.

"Let's get married!" Yuuki announced.

_Silence._

Kaname blinked three times. "What?" he gasped.

"Let's get married." She repeated. "It will make us both feel better." she added, laughing.

"What do you mean… _married_?" he asked, stunned.

"Well, when two people love each other very much, they get all their friends to go to a big church. The man wears a suit and the girl wears a pretty white dress and they promise to be together forever; which is quite true for me and you!" she teased.

Kaname's stunned face broke into a wide grin. His face seemed to practically shine with happiness.

"You're serious?" he questioned, astonished.

"Yes, I want to marry you. That way you know I'm yours forever, no matter what, and all the other pureblood vampire women will know to keep there grubby paws off." she muttered the last part darkly, succumbing to the jealousy she tried so hard to suppress.

"Yuuki, will you marry me?" Kaname laughed.

"Yes!" she shouted at him, laughing as well.

Kaname grabbed onto Yuuki's wrist and pulled her body to his. Grinning like maniacs, they moved their faces closer to each other and their lips caught in a searing kiss. Her lips moulded to his and he slowly traced his tongue over her bottom lip, asking for entrance, which she eagerly granted. Their lips moved together slowly and theirs tongues entwined passionately.

Once Yuuki's head began to spin from lack of oxygen she reluctantly pulled away and rested her forehead on his collarbone. Panting heavily, she took in his heavenly scent as he buried his face into her soft hair.

"I love you…" she whispered to him.

"And I you." he replied with a small chuckle.

"So, how does it feel to be engaged to the heir to the Kuran bloodline?" he teased.

"Kind of nice. How does it feel to be engaged to a nobody without a clue who her family is?" she teased back.

"You may not know who your family is, Yuuki but you are most defiantly not a nobody!" he assured her.

"Biased!" she muttered.

"I'm a Kuran; we aren't allowed to be biased." he joked, making them both laugh.

"Just so you know," Kaname started in a serious tone, "I will do this again."

"Huh?" Yuuki uttered. "You've lost me."

"_I _will propose to _you _properly." he stated. "With a ring, and it will _not_ be in my bedroom at Cross Academy."

"Okey Dokey then." she grinned. "We should get dressed; class will be starting soon."

"I guess you're right…" he sighed, before pulling away and going to seek out a clean shirt from his cupboard.

Yuuki smirked devilishly and sauntered towards her own wardrobe. She opened the doors and pretended to muse over what to wear. She stayed that way until she heard Kaname close his own closet and turn towards her. Only _then_ did she move.

Slowly she unbuttoned the crimson shirt she had been wearing and let it slide from her shoulders, revealing the creamy skin on her back. She repeated the process with her dark jeans before proceeding to slide her legs into the black, thigh length socks she had to wear to class. All this she did while grinning to herself, and when a small groan escaped from Kaname's throat, her smirk became more pronounced.

Then, as if nothing had happened, she quickly got dressed and closed her closet doors with a snap. Rearranging her features into an innocent smile, she turned to face her fiancé.

Kaname was staring longingly at her, breathing deeply, in an attempt to control himself.

"Are you _trying_ to kill me?" he groaned.

"Now, where is the fun in that?" she teased, before going to him and placing a chaste kiss upon his cheek.

"Come on, lover boy." she called, as she headed for the door.

"Coming, Mrs. Kuran." he grinned.

"Sounds right, doesn't it?" she noted.

"Perfect." he muttered.

Kaname walked up behind Yuuki and took her small hands in his. He brought them delicately to his mouth and placed a sweet kiss on the wrist and palm. Yuuki blushed, and so he lowered her hand but did not let go. They walked in comfortable silence towards the staircase and soon the voices emanating from the foyer grew more distinguishable.

"Aidou, will you ever grow up?" Kain chastised.

"Meanie!" Aidou chorused.

"Give it a rest, will you guys?" Ruka whined.

"Never!" Aidou shouted.

"Idiot!" Rima muttered.

"Loser." Shiki added.

Yuuki giggled at her friends and the innocent sound brought a smile to Kaname's lips.

"Kaname?" Yuuki asked hesitantly.

"Yes, Yuuki?" he smiled down at her.

"I want my brother at the wedding." she announced sheepishly.

"Yuuki, you have no idea what he looks like or where he could be. I know there aren't many purebloods left, but he could be anywhere in the world for all you know." Kaname argued.

"I don't think so, Kaname. I can't explain it, but I feel as if he's here, somewhere nearby." Yuuki pondered aloud. Kaname just smirked.

_He may be closer than you think Yuuki._

"Anyway, I'll get someone to help me." she added in a chirpy voice.

Kaname opened his mouth to argue but thought better of it. Rather, he just sighed and shook his head.

Naïve Yuuki evidently took this as permission, because she smiled and skipped away from him, although she did think she heard Kaname mutter something along the lines of: "not a snowflakes chance in hell will you know him…" but this only strengthened her resolve.

As Kaname watched Yuuki's retreating back, he quietly muttered one word.

"Seiren?"

"Yes, Kaname-sama?" she replied, instantly at his side, as if she had been there all along.

"I need you to watch over Yuuki. Make sure she doesn't do anything she shouldn't." he ordered her, and she nodded calmly.

"Like what, may I ask?" she enquired hesitantly.

"Anything to do with the council or the ancestors." he told her sharply

"Of course, Kaname-sama." and with that, she disappeared.

Kaname smiled and followed Yuuki to the top of the stairs where he grabbed her hand once more and started pulling her gently down the stairs.

As the two purebloods descended the marble staircase, all the nobles ceased their conversations, standing up to bow before Yuuki and Kaname.

"Doesn't that ever get boring?" Yuuki stage whispered to Kaname. "I mean seriously, it must hurt their backs."

Aidou was the first to giggle. "It's nice to see you too, Yuuki-sama."

Yuuki happily skipped down the stairs and bounced over to Rima. Grinning.

"What's gotten into you?" Rima laughed.

"She got laid!" A disembodied voiced called.

"Who the _fuck_ is that?" Yuuki exclaimed, blushing furiously.

"Me, dumbass." Akira chortled as she appeared from around the corner.

"When the hell did you get here?" Yuuki cried in confusion.

"I'm always here when you least expect me!" Akira giggled.

"Expect? Maybe want would be a better word." Aidou muttered, earning himself another slap on the head.

"Akira, I did not get laid." Yuuki grumbled.

"Are you waiting for marriage or something Yuuki? Or have you become a nun?" she teased.

"Go away, you little sprite!" Yuuki hissed, as a laughing Akira danced out the door.

"Shall we get going then?" Kain enquired, latching Ruka onto his arm and practically dragging her to the door.

"I guess." Rima and Shiki replied.

Soon, Yuuki and Kaname were surrounded by their noble friends as the doors of the moon dorm were thrown open, and the air was filled with the aroma of sweet flowers and the screams of over energetic girls. Yuuki sighed happily.

As they approached the gate a flash of silver caught their attention. Zero was leaning lazily against a nearby tree, keeping every one of the day class girls in check with a single, menacing glance. He nodded as they past and smiled slightly at Yuuki.

Yuuki, sensing an opportunity to get what she wanted, whipped her head behind Kaname's back and caught Zero's attention.

"I need to speak to you later!" she mouthed, and he nodded his understanding.

So, with a smile, she turned her attention back to her fiancé as they walked towards the school.

_Later that night…_

"Where's Kaname?" Zero asked nonchalantly.

"He had some business to take care of, so he left the grounds after class!" Yuuki replied quietly.

Yuuki and Zero were currently standing upon the roof of the night class dorm where they had frequently met on their rounds, those years ago.

The night was cold and clear but neither of them seemed phased by the chilly wind sweeping through the trees.

"What's the matter, Yuuki?" Zero asked, worriedly.

"Do you think of Ichiru often?" she blurted out.

Zero frowned and turned to face her; she was gazing absentmindedly over the grounds and appeared to be in a far off place.

"Everyday," Zero sighed, "He gave his life to save me and I'll never be able to repay him."

"Do you ever wish you could forget about him?" Yuuki stated.

"Never. He's my brother," Zero replied, slightly angry. "Yuuki, what's all this about?"

"I had a brother once." Yuuki interrupted. "When I was younger… before I lost my memories."

"Yuuki…I–"

"–For some reason I can't remember him, but I keep having dreams and visions about him, just like before I was awoken. It's driving me mad, because I _know_ I have a brother but I can't remember anything about him." Yuuki cried softly.

"Why are you telling me this?" Zero choked.

"I need your help," Yuuki whispered. "I need to know him."

"I don't know, Yuuki…" he hesitated. "Why don't you get Kaname to help?"

"He doesn't think it's a good idea for me to know him." Yuuki muttered darkly.

"What do you want me to do?" he questioned.

"You're friends with the hunter's association, aren't you?" she asked. _**"**_

"To an extent."

"I would go myself but Kaname has, no doubt, put up precautions in case I turn up there. Would you look into my family tree for me?" she pleaded.

"That probably won't be easy, you know. What were there names again?" Zero stalled.

"I don't know their last names, but they were called Juuri and Haruka. Will that help?"

"There won't be much information on a couple of suicidal purebloods." he scoffed falsely.

"They didn't commit suicide," she whispered. "They were murdered by Rido Kuran."

"And you're dating his nephew. Good choice!" he joked, but quickly stopped laughing when he saw the pain on Yuuki's face.

"Please? Will you help me?" she begged.

"Yuuki, you're like my sister, I'd do anything for you." he smiled. "I'm guessing you don't want Kaname to find out about this…?"

Yuuki just smiled sheepishly in answer.

"No problem," he grinned, before starting to walk away.

Suddenly an idea hit Yuuki.

"Zero!" she shouted.

"Yeah?" he drawled.

"Rido took Kaname's younger sister; there won't be much information on her because no one knew about her, but do you think that you could try and find out?" she rushed.

"I'll try." he sighed.

As Zero hopped lithely over the stone balcony, Yuuki sighed in relief and turned to face the stars.

_Now I'll finally get some answers._

* * *

_There you go! He did practically tell her...she's just too dense to figure it out!!! Hope you enjoyed it...any questions? I honestly don't mind answering....all my love guys you are all the best..._

_**BUT** the absolute best person has to be my amazing Beta VampireMaddy who i love and obey. Love you...xxx_


	18. Chapter 18

**Ok! Ok! I know I deserve to be shot! It's been ages since I updated and I promised you all more chapters over the holidays and I'm really really sorry. Am I forgiven?**

**You see I was in France for two weeks at the start of the holidays then I was at my nans for two weeks and then I was getting ready for 6****th**** form. I can't believe how fast the summer went by!!!**

**As of now I don't know when the next chapter will be written/released because I've just started school again and I've kind of been thrown into the deep end with bricks chained to my ankles…it ain't going well at the moment so I don't know when I'll get the time to write. I'll try I promise.**

**It pains me to say this story is nearing it's end. Maybe 3-4 more chapters after this…maybe even less I don't know but I love you all and I can't thank you enough for even thinking about reading my story.**

**And finally before I let you get on with the reading after this ridiculously long authors note…I want to tell you all how much I love my beta reader…VampireMaddy, without who I would not be as successful as I am now. Love ya chick and thanks a bunch I know it isn't easy doing this and good luck!!!!**

**Okaayy…let's do this thingy!!!!**

Chapter 18

"Sometimes those classes get _really _repetitive…" sighed Aidou.

"Speak for yourself," Yuuki muttered, "We aren't all genius' you know!"

"Yuuki-sama, it's only because you're learning it all for the first time," Ruka assured her.

"Yeah, whatever," Yuuki scoffed.

"You'll get it, Yuuki, it just takes some time," Kaname whispered. "Anyway, I'll tutor you."

"Thank you…sir," she giggled.

Kaname smiled softly and took his fiancées hand, giving it a comforting squeeze. Yuuki pulled herself closer to her beloved and sighed in content. The whole group remained in comfortable silence until something caught Yuuki's attention.

'Where did Rima and Shiki disappear to?" She asked aloud.

"Good question," Kain frowned. "Seriously, sometimes those two could give Seiren a run for her money…"

Aidou laughed loudly. "I'll make it my life's ambition to sneak up on that woman and put a bell on her."

"Good luck with that," Kaname mumbled.

The night grew silent except for a gentle humming, which radiated from Ichijou, who had walked to the very front of the group. Yuuki looked up at the vast expanses of starry sky and attempted to occupy herself with counting the stars.

Kain nervously cleared his throat. "Er, Ruka would…would you like to take a walk by the lake with me?"

Ruka blushed an impressive shade of red and nodded her head, smiling. She linked her arm through his and allowed him to gently pull her away from the group. Both left the group with dumb smiles on their faces.

"Looks like it's just the four of us," Yuuki said.

"Three, actually," Kaname corrected. "Ichijou went ahead so he could…."

"Guys! What are you doing? You can't leave me here with Kaname-sama, who's going to stop me before I do something stupid. He'll kill me. Ruka! Kain! Wait up!" Aidou screamed before speeding off to intrude upon his cousins' time yet again.

"Just the two of us then," Kaname smiled.

"I think I prefer it this way…" Yuuki joked.

"Me too," he laughed.

Silence fell once again but the smiles on their faces did not disappear. They had no need to talk when they were happy just being with each other.

"Have you thought about when you want the wedding?" Kaname asked her.

"Not really. Not yet anyway," she mused. "We'll have to wait until after Zero and Akira tie the knot because Akira would probably accuse me of stealing her thunder and never speak to me again."

Kaname laughed but once he caught the look on Yuuki's face and figured out that she was being serious he suddenly stopped. "Speaking of which, where is Kiryuu? I haven't seen him around much lately"

Yuuki, who had been waiting for this question for sometime, answered without hesitation. "I was thinking about that too, but when I asked Akira she told me that Zero and Yagari-sensei have been dragged back to headquarters because of some Level-E infestation in central Tokyo."

"Yes, I heard about that. But he's been gone quite some time, no?" _**Huh doesn't seem… Kaname-ish. **_

"He should be back sooner or later. Why? Do you miss him _that_ much?" Yuuki teased.

"Like toothache," Kaname chuckled.

The conversation ended and they once again fell into a comfortable silence; one which lasted the entire journey back to the moon dorm. They made their way through the silent dormitory and flung open their bedroom door, collapsing into the welcoming, peaceful atmosphere the chamber held for them.

"I'm going to take a shower, Yuuki," Kaname announced. "Would you like to join me?"

Yuuki laughed. "Whoa, down boy! Maybe another time…"

Kaname sighed before heading into their en-suite bathroom and closing the door. Yuuki, now alone, began to change out of her restricting night class uniform. She loosened the tie and dropped the jacket nonchalantly onto the floor before slipping into a pair of shorts and unbuttoning her shirt a little. Pinching her nose in exhaustion, she decided to close the curtains so she could relax without being distracted by the outside world.

However, as she gazed through the thin layer of glass, the outside world she had so desperately wanted to avoid looked so peaceful. Yuuki smiled and, instead of shutting the curtains, pulled the window open. The cool midnight breeze filled the air and carried with it the faint scent of rain in the distance. Yuuki stepped onto the balcony and looked towards the forest not far from the moon dorm. Birds hopped from branch to branch, tree to tree making small happy noises echo across the grounds.

A flash of silver caught her eyes and she turned her head to see Zero strolling through the trees, no doubt continuing his patrol of the grounds. Yuuki smiled at him, knowing his keen vampire eyes would see it. Zero smiled back at her and mouthed something to Yuuki.

"Tomorrow."

Yuuki's face broke out into a radiant smile and she nodded her head vigorously. Zero, accepting that he had done what he need to, turned back to the trees and promptly disappeared.

Yuuki, who was now in a considerably good mood, ran back into the room, shut the windows, and childishly…did a little dance. Tomorrow Zero would give her information on her brother and it had greatly lifted her spirits.

A lock clicked and Yuuki turned to stare at her fiancé emerging from the steamy bathroom. What immediately caught her attention was what he was wearing. His normal school pants covered his lower half but his dark shirt was unbuttoned, fanning out across his chiseled chest, giving Yuuki a very good view of his body. He looked even sexier than usual, if that were possible, due to the tiny water droplets slowly oozing over each defined muscle.

Absentmindedly, Yuuki licked her lips and stared appreciatively at her fiancé.

"Like what you see?" Kaname teased, a smirk hovering about his lips. __

"Very much so," Yuuki replied, her voice a little dream-like in quality.

Kaname laughed softly but moved to stand closer to her. He placed his hands on her small waist and pulled her body against his, their hip bones meeting. Ducking his head, he swiftly touched his lips to hers. Smiling, he began to pull away, but it seemed Yuuki had other ideas. She brought her hands up to Kaname's neck, weaved her fingers through his slightly damp hair and pulled his face back towards hers with all her strength. Their lips moved in slow synchronization and Kaname darted his tongue over her full lips. He started forwards but Yuuki did not break her vice-like grip on him and they tumbled onto the large bed, before carrying on their activities.

As the pace of their kisses quickened, passion and lust beginning to cloud their brains, it would be hard to believe that one of them would want to deny the others advances…but Yuuki did.

"Kaname, stop. We can't do this!" Yuuki gasped. Instead of stopping, Kaname merely moved his lips to the soft skin on her neck, placing hot, open mouthed kisses along the nape of her neck.

"And why not?" he murmured, slightly breathless.

"Because…" she sighed. Kaname, however, had not stopped his ministrations which proved to be very distracting. Exasperatedly she shoved against him; he lifted his head and frowned at her. "Because," she continued. "I am sick of being interrupted and if someone came wanting you for business, I seriously wouldn't hesitate in killing them. I am in that kind of mood."

Kaname chuckled quietly but kissed her gently on the lips, moving along her jaw until he reached her ear. His breath fanned out over her skin, sending pleasurable shivers down her spine.

"Is that all?" he whispered. Unable to find her voice, Yuuki just nodded. "Well then, I guess you should know that Rima and Shiki are at a photo shoot until dawn. Aidou, Kain and Ruka are still by the lake and intend to go into town afterwards. Ichijou is in his room reading and Seiren is ordered to paralyze anyone who comes within two meters of that door…"

Kaname started kissing her neck again, making Yuuki smile.

"And what about Seiren herself?"

Kaname sighed. "Seiren won't come in if she's ordered not to. Feel better now?"

"Tons!" she whispered, before pulling him towards her.

Kaname impatiently started to unbutton her school shirt as she pushed his own off his shoulders. Pulling away to look into Kaname's lust filled eyes, Yuuki could not help but allow a grin to spread across her face.

_I have a feeling tonight is going to be a long night. _**(A/N: hehe)**

**--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------**

_Several hours later…._**(Lucky cow)**

The night was silent. The only noise in the room was the deep breathing coming from a sleeping Yuuki and her fiancé, who lay there silently stroking the pale skin upon her bare back. Gently he pulled her sleeping form closer to his and, placing a kiss on her forehead, his mouth curved into a content smile as he breathed in her unique scent.

A soft knock broke the silence and he sighed in annoyance. Slowly, so as not to disturb her peaceful slumber, he moved Yuuki off his chest and climbed out of bed before searching for his clothes and hastily pulling them on. Looking over his shoulder to make sure Yuuki was still sleeping, he quietly pulled the door open.

Outside the door he came across Seiren, back bent in an apologetic bow. Sighing, he stepped out into the corridor and closed the door with a quiet click.

"Kaname-sama. I'm really sorry for disturbing you. I know you ordered me not to, but I thought this was important and came to tell you,"

"Its okay, Seiren," he assured her. "What is it?"

"A report came from the council… someone attempted to access Kuran records. The documents were burned but no one knows who it was or what they were after,"

Kaname laughed gently. "Looks like my dear Yuuki hasn't been entirely honest with me,"

"Kaname-sama?" she frowned

"Don't worry, Seiren. I think I know what happened. Was that everything?" he asked. __

Seiren hesitated, which caused Kaname to raise his eyebrows at her but she soon answered. "Kiryuu-kun has been walking around the roof for about three hours. He wants to talk to you,"

Kaname shook his head, but thanked Seiren and walked back into the room. Taking his time Kaname pulled on his uniform once again before reluctantly leaving the room.

The night was cold and clear; a chill wind filtered through the trees and swept across the vacant grounds. The silver haired hunter stood silent, gazing over the vast expanses of green forests surrounding Cross Academy. The stillness of the night did not change, even with the arrival of another man. His dark, mahogany locks swirled with the wind but no other movements disturbed the darkness.

That was until one of them spoke.

"Kuran," he acknowledged.

"Kiryuu-kun. Is there a reason why you have been terrorising the rooftops for the past three hours?" Kaname joked.

"In case you haven't noticed, I haven't been around for a few weeks," Zero prompted.

"I did actually. I would ask why, but I have a feeling you're going to tell me anyway,"

"You'd be surprised what dirty little secrets you can uncover if you dig deep enough," Zero continued, still not looking at Kaname.

"I don't follow. And just so you know, you sound like a rip off fortune cookie," Kaname frowned.

Zero didn't laugh at the joke. "A couple weeks ago Yuuki asked a favour of me. You know, I'm sure, about the visions and dreams she's been having about a brother she thinks she had when she was a child. Well, she asked me to look into her family tree and find out if she really had one or whether she's just going crazy," he explained.

Kaname nodded "I had an idea she would ask someone, but for some reason I never thought of you,"

"Yuuki was so sure of her parent's names - Juuri and Haruka - that I started there. I went to headquarters and managed to pull up the pureblood lineage. It tracks every pureblood upon the planet but there wasn't one mention of Yuuki anywhere on it. There was only one mention of a Juuri and Haruka as a couple, and they were your parents. I thought that it was probably a mistake, you know, that Yuuki had just got the wrong information, so I gave up… Did you know she asked another favour of me?" Kaname shook his head. "She asked me to look for your sister."

Kaname's face temporarily froze in shock, but Zero continued.

"I went through every record of the Kurans I could access, but there was nothing to indicate that our Kaname had a sister. To say I was frustrated would be an understatement; to have both Yuuki and your sister disappear from all records was infuriating. In a last attempt I looked at hospital records; giving birth at home could be risky, even to purebloods, and I found one single mention of Juuri and Haruka at a hospital built entirely for vampires. Only one mention, in all the time your birth and their death, nineteen years ago.

"However, there was no information given about why they were there. It took time, but I managed to trace one of the doctors that worked there at the time. He's gone completely nuts and is easily confused, but that must have thrown off the scent of an erased memory. He told me that nineteen years ago, Haruka Kuran and his heavily pregnant wife Juuri, came rushing in to the hospital and within minutes had given birth to a little girl. They named her _Yuuki._

"Soon after, they vanished, taking the memories of most the staff with them. For some reason, Kaname, I find it hard to believe that Juuri and Haruka Kuran had a daughter named Yuuki and that Yuuki's parents just happen to share the same name. All this of this _can't_ be coincidence, so tell me what the hell is going on!" he concluded calmly.

Kaname sighed, and turned away from Zero's knowing gaze.

"I underestimated you, Zero. I never thought it would be possible for you to find out so much. Since you already know so much, I think I will tell you. It might help to confide in someone, after all this time."

Kaname turned back to Zero and took a deep breath.

"A long time ago, before any of us were even thought of, my parents lived with their brother Rido. Rido loved my mother to the point of obsession, but her heart had always belonged to Haruka, my father. When Rido tried to make my mother his by force, my father stopped him, but Rido swore revenge. Soon after he disappeared, and for years they never thought of him at all. However some years ago, when I was a child, Rido came after me. I'll spare you the gory details, but know that I was never the same again.

"My parents knew that Rido wouldn't stop until he tore our family apart. They also knew that his obsession would increase tenfold if they ever had a daughter. So, when Yuuki was born, we all did everything we could to protect her from that scumbag. We kept her secret, so that Rido would never find out about her and try anything. It worked, and for years we lived happily in peace, until one night he came.

"My father was killed trying to prevent him entering the house, and my mother locked away Yuuki's vampiric nature, at the cost her of her own life. I managed to stop Rido going after Yuuki, but I didn't kill him. Before I could get back to Yuuki she had woken up and wandered off. I couldn't find her, but by the time I did, Kaien had already found her. The relief I felt when I found her in safe hands was phenomenal. However, it was still overshadowed by the knowledge I would never get her back.

"Once she started having visions of our mother, I started to hope that maybe I could get her back after all those years but Rido beat me to it. He managed to give her back her memories of everything _but_ me. I can't express the gratitude I felt when you killed him; if you hadn't, Rido probably would have convinced her to go with him. Now, the suppressed memories of me are driving her crazy, and if they don't break out soon she will lose her mind."

Kaname closed his eyes and Zero just stared at him.

"_Wow_," he whispered. "You know, she'll need to know someday Kaname. If it all keeps piling up, you'll end up loosing her,"

Kaname's face contorted into what can only be described as immense pain. "I know, but she's so _stubborn_."

"What do you mean?" Zero frowned.

"The only way the visions will stop is if she drinks my blood. If I just told her, she'd probably never believe me, and even if she did the visions wouldn't stop and would still tear her mind apart…"

Zero chuckled softly, earning a cold glare from Kaname.

"Let me guess - the chairman has something to do with all this." he stated sarcastically.

"Yes. She won't hurt anyone or drink any real blood if blood tablets are on supply. See doesn't see any point in it. Even after all these years she won't accept what she is." Kaname sighed in frustration.

Everything grew silent and they remained so for quite some time, not saying anything, just listening to the night pass by them.

"Kaname?" Zero asked quietly. "What would you give to have your sister back?"

"Honestly? There aren't enough things in the world for me to give," Kaname replied.

"Are Yuuki's memories of you that important?"

"Kiryuu, what the _hell_ are you talking about?"

"Is it worth a few out of control vampires?" Zero urged. "I will help you get Yuuki to drink your blood, but it'll probably cost the peace of the night class … for a few weeks, anyway."

Kaname stayed silent for a while, thinking it over. Finally a mischievous smile spread across his features. "I think I can live with that," he replied.

"If you want to warn anyone, you can, but make sure Yuuki doesn't find out or she will be pissed. I'll make sure it's in the holidays so no one from the day class gets hurt."

Once again, silent enveloped them. Zero sighed.

"Yuuki will probably be waking up soon…" he prompted.

"You're right. Thank you Kiryuu," Kaname smiled, and turned away.

Zero made his way to the edge of the roof until a thought suddenly struck Kaname. He called out to Zero's retreating shadow.

"Why are you helping me?" he asked. "I thought you hated purebloods marrying each other. Isn't it, and I quote, 'sick'?" he asked.

Zero contemplated his words for a moment before hesitantly answering. "Yuuki deserves to be happy. You make her happier than any one else ever has, so why should I let my opinions stand in the way of her happiness?" Zero suddenly laughed. "Besides I was in love with her too, remember, a long time ago. She was like my sister and it didn't feel so sick at the time. When it comes to Yuuki, I know how you feel, so I'll make an exception to the rule,"

"Goodnight Kiryuu," Kaname laughed.

"Kuran," Zero nodded.

Smiling, Kaname returned to his room to find his beloved yet ignorant sister sitting at his desk, in nothing but one of his shirts, pouring over something in front of her.

"Hey," he called.

"Hi," she replied, not looking up. A small frown formed on her face as she re-read the piece of paper.

"What's wrong, my love?" he quizzed, walking behind her to gaze over her shoulder at the paper too. His eyes fell upon a letter from the council.

"I just can't understand what they want. It's so confusing…" Yuuki whined.

"They must have found out about the engagement," Kaname frowned.

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"Yuuki, the council is pissed with me for breaking up with Sara. You yourself will admit that they don't like you because you apparently popped up from nowhere. They want us there so that we can formally announce the engagement, and so that you can prove your blood status," he explained in an angry tone. His anger was solely projected at the council, but some of it managed to rub off on Yuuki.

"What?!" she hissed, her deep chocolate eyes burning scarlet for a brief moment.

"In every pureblood marriage the council is involved, because of the repercussions it has throughout the vampire world. With them wanting to get rid of the Kuran line they'll do _anything_ and use any excuse to stop our wedding. That includes denying your status as a pureblood," he continued.

"Son of a bitch…" she whispered.

Suddenly, Yuuki was angry. No, _furious_. Her entire body filled with intense hatred and disbelief at how the council thought they could interfere in everything, and other people's lives. Most of all her body was flooded with a fierce determination to prove to the council that she was Kaname's equal, but more importantly to show that she is more worthy of him than any of the power hungry sluts they would prefer him to marry.

A small smirk formed on her lips and her eyes lost all their usual, friendly warmth.

"You know, Yuuki, that look is kind of scary…."

_Oh it is so on!_


	19. Chapter 19

_**Right... i'll make this quick. Yes, this has taken quite a while, yes i know, yes i'm sorry but no i couldn't have done it any quicker. I've started doing my A-levels so i've been getting used to it all and i finally got a break in between bits of French homeowrk to write and so here is the new chapter.**_

**_I know i've been mean by taking so long but if you could all still review that would be fantastic my inbox had been empty of fanfiction messages for too long :(_**

**_Before i go, big big BIG thank you to the amazing VamipreMaddy, my most excellent beta reader who managed to get this done in like three hours, ain't she great? _**

**_Love to everyone who added this story to their favourites in the absence of an actual chapter and anyone with any questions please ask._**

**_Disclaimer: Vampire Knight is not my work...unfortnately. Wish it was but ...no :'(_**

* * *

_Chapter 19: Blood Lust_

Soft footsteps echoed in the dark, moonlit corridor. Near silent in their approach they grew closer and closer, shuffling in the darkness like a mad dash through the shadows.

The feral snarls barely made a sound as they emanated from both vampires, one ghosting through the night; the other, waiting… waiting for the right moment to strike.

The moment came and the flaming haired man leaped from his hiding place in the shadows and tackled the other to the ground.

A high pitched girly scream rang out, piercing the darkness with its shrillness.

"Aidou?"

"Kain?" he squeaked.

"What the hell were you doing stalking me at five in the morning?" Kain snarled, eyes burning red.

"Yeah, because I really knew it was you sneaking around the dorm, all sinister and suspiciously, secretly planning to kill someone!" Aidou retorted, regaining the malice that had filled him not moments before.

"I wasn't sneaking around…or trying to kill someone."

"Well, I wasn't stalking you!"

Both men had managed to scramble to their feet and were now locked in a battle of wills, each wishing, for no apparent reason, for the other to attack. The lust for battle mounted; their eyes were blazing crimson orbs, intently staring into the others, snarling quietly.

"You've been getting at me for days. I've gotta tell you _Akatsuki_," - he spat the name as if it were acid on his tongue - "that it's getting really annoying, having someone like you look down on me every single day."

"Someone like me? Tell me dear cousin, what do you mean?" Kain hissed.

"You and I are completely different, and you know it," Aidou laughed humourlessly.

"And by different, I'm guessing you mean that I'm inferior to you, oh mighty genius."

"Take it as you want, Akatsuki, do not expect much denial from me."

"What do you think would win in the end?" Kain challenged. "Fire or ice?"

A small flame erupted in his hand and the bloodlust was almost tangible in the suddenly cold night air.

"Ice," Aidou smirked

"Fire," Kain growled.

In a split second streams of fire and ice erupted from Aidou and Kain. Colliding in midair, it was difficult to stand the two extreme temperatures in such a small confinement. Kain's fire froze upon contact with Aidou's ice only to be melted by more fire.

The battle of elements would not have easily been finished if it were not for the sudden opening of heavy oak door.

"Problem, gentlemen?" came the amused tone of a voice that would be unrecognisable to the half-crazed nobles had it not been for the respected yet feared aura of a pureblood vampire.

Kuran Kaname.

"Kaname-sama!" Aidou flushed, the fire in his eyes temporarily dissipating. "Evening."

"Any reason _why_ the corridor is covered in melted ice?" Kaname asked.

"You mean water," Kain snorted, still staring at Aidou.

Aidou turned to stare an expression which seemed a kind of mixture of awe and horror. Kain, realising his mistake, gasped and fell to his knees in repentance.

"Forgive me, Kaname-sama, I meant no disrespect. I couldn't help myself," he gushed.

"It's okay Kain. Tempers seem to be running high as of late," Kaname replied in a sympathetic voice.

"Yeah," Aidou chirped in happily. "It doesn't help when _some_ people have got a great stick up their arse either."

"Are you talking to me?" Kain growled.

"Why would I talk to you?" Aidou replied. Both men were once again in a battle stance, ready to jump and rip the other to shreds.

"Excuse me…" Kaname spoke softly, but with an air of authority only purebloods possess.

"Gomen-nasai, Kaname-sama!" they chorused, without looking away.

With a heavy sigh, Kaname brought his hands up to his eyes and rubbed them furiously.

"Seiren," he spoke, in barely a whisper.

Not even a second later, the purple haired woman appeared behind him. Kaname clenched his fists to refrain from laughing at her. Seiren for the first time ever looked dishevelled. Her lilac hair stuck out at odd places and her eyes had a crazed look in them; the look of a starving woman.

"Hai, Kaname-sama?" she asked breathlessly, another strange occurrence

"Seiren, please escort Hanabusa and Akatsuki back to their room," he ordered, turning back towards his own room with a nonchalant wave. "Oh, and make sure they remain calm for the rest of the night… use whatever means necessary."

A small smirk appeared on Seiren's usually stoic visage and Kain and Aidou both shivered involuntarily.

"Of course, Kaname-sama," she replied.

Swiftly she seized hold of both of the vampires' shirts and began mercilessly dragging them around the corner. Before Kaname had chance to close his door completely his sense picked up the distinct sound of hands making contact with heads and a few choice profanities issued from Seiren's mouth.

Kaname chuckled softly to himself and crossed the room to close the curtains. Pulling a face at the lightening sky, Kaname internally agreed with the other vampires who stated summer is the worst time of year; early sunrises were a pain.

Proceeding with his nightly (or morning routine, however you wish to see it) he took off his shirt and changed into a pair of old jogging pants before climbing into bed and taking out his book.

"Problem in paradise Dear?" Yuuki laughed as she skipped into the room, a small smile playing on her lips.

"Not really," Kaname replied, pulling down the covers and allowing his fiancée to climb in next to him. "Aidou and Kain were arguing again."

Kaname absentmindedly started playing with Yuuki's long hair while turning his attention back to his book.

"It's strange…" Yuuki prattled on, as she snuggled into Kaname's side "Ruka and Rima managed to burn out Shiki and Takuma's room, for no reason at all. Thank God Ichijou got his manga out in time or we would have never heard the end of it. And seriously, I've never ever seen Shiki frown before, never mind shout the way he did when Aidou went into his new room for pocky. Neh, Kaname? Kaname?" she frowned sitting up to face him.

"Are you even listening to me?" she shouted, her eyes blazing red in an intense burst of anger.

"Of course I was," Kaname replied, before repeating everything she had just said word for word.

"Oh! That's good then," she giggled, her anger completely gone.

Kaname shook his head at the slightly insane girl he shared a bed with. Kaname closed his book and turned off the light before turning over and softly pressing his lips against the exposed flesh of Yuuki's shoulder.

"Goodnight, Yuuki," he whispered with a smile.

"'Night, Kaname," she mumbled back, in a voice which betrayed her half asleep state.

Kaname rolled onto his back, throwing an arm behind his head and staring lazily at the ceiling. Realising he had around a quarter of the duvet covering both him and Yuuki, Kaname attempted to pull just a little section of the silk covers onto his chilly torso.

"Kaname!" Yuuki hissed dangerously. Slowly she turned around to face his half-amused, half-terrified eyes. "I swear if you don't leave my covers alone I will, in all seriousness, bite that thing off and nail it to the wall!"

Moving a protective hand to cover his prized possessions, Kaname nodded in horror, completely shocked that his sweet Yuuki could come out with such graphic threats.

"Right, I'm going to sleep and if you so much as whisper to me in the next five minutes you are going to sleep outside like a dog ok?" she instructed, turning over and settling into her previous position on the bed.

Kaname sighed, a small smile making its way to his lips. Despite the death threats and a few other minor disturbances the night class hasn't much changed, unless you count the all consuming rage filling everyone's head as change – everything else in the night class was normal.

Closing his eyes, Kaname's last conscious thought swirled around his mind as a lazy smile crossed his lips.

_It's working._

* * *

As the weeks progressed, the strange behaviour and rage emanating from the moon dorm and its occupants began to rapidly increase. The chairman of Cross Academy had started to notice the unpredictability of his beloved vampires escalate to the point where he had to hide, even from his beloved Yuuki, whenever they were in the vicinity. As a precaution the headmaster had refused to reopen the school to the sun dorm and all students in the night class for at least another three weeks. His excuses to outraged parents varied from termites to terrorist attacks and to one unsuspecting, slightly gullible couple he stressed that all technology in the school had rebelled and was murdering wild animals.

Indeed, the only people who seemed unaffected by the recent episode of blood lust were Kuran Kaname, Ichijou Takuma and Kiryuu Zero. All three of the male vampires now stood in Kaname's office talking in hushed tones.

"I still don't know why were whispering," Ichijou remarked, frowning with just a slight hint of a pout on his angelic features.

"If the rest of the night class hear what we're talking about, Yuuki in particular, we will be in a wooden box by the end of the day," Zero hissed.

"Vampires don't get buried," Kaname stated in a deadpan voice.

"It was a figure of speech!" came Zero's angry reply.

"It's not like it matters anyway. The whole rooms soundproof and Yuuki is gone for the day with Rima and Ruka," Kaname smirked, lowering himself onto the recliner and getting comfortable.

"Seriously, Kuran, sometimes I wonder why the hell I ever agreed to be friends with you."

"Because you're a lapdog," Ichijou chirped.

Zero's anger dissipated at that, a soft smile replacing his previously prominent scowl. "I love my girl, what's wrong with that?"

"Nothing," Kaname agreed with a yawn. "I'll be the first to admit that I am a doormat when it comes to Yuuki. I'd give her the world if I could."

"With you, Kaname," Ichijou smiled "That isn't _that_ impossible."

A soft chuckle came from all three men as they lapsed into a comfortable silence.

"Why are we here anyway?" Zero asked, confusion apparent on his face.

"Ichijou's confused. You explain," Kaname stated bluntly. He threw his arm over his eyes and fell silent.

"What are you confused about?" Zero asked.

"Why are we doing this?" Ichijou questioned "I'm not entirely sure this will work."

Sighing, Zero turned to Kaname and frowned at his still form

"Does he know… about Yuuki?"

Kaname nodded.

"Everything," he pushed.

Kaname nodded again.

"Ok then," Zero sighed. "Yuuki's been having nightmares – visions, I suppose you could call them, about her past. It isn't a bad thing but ever since Rido died they've been a lot worse and always about Kuran here. Yuuki's consciousness has been pushing her memories through but she doesn't understand them and they're slowly driving her mad."

Ichijou nodded but didn't comment. Kaname seemed tense. Any talk about his Yuuki, especially discussing what could happen to her soon, stressed him to no end.

"In order to get her memories back and stop the whole mental breakdown she has to drink the blood of the person who locked them away. At first it was her mother; we know that isn't a possibility, and then of course there was Rido. I took care of that problem," Zero stated, his hatred for the dead pureblood still burning in his veins. "Anyway, the only one left is Kaname and because he's family and somewhat weirdly connected to Rido he can do it. If you're confused about that, don't ask me, he didn't explain either."

"No it's okay. I understand that much," Ichijou said, almost in a whisper

Zero looked between the two before shrugging and continuing.

"The blood tablets the rest of them are taking are actually fakes. I swapped them weeks ago; they've been slowly getting blood deprived without realising it. If we can get Yuuki so thirsty that she's willing to overlook the drinking blood part then she will drink from Kaname… _buuuuut _she's been with the chairman too long so she won't cause harm - even to the undead."

Ichijou stood staring vacantly at Zero; not in confusion or irritation but Ichijou was now involved in a very detailed daydream about Zero's kidnap of the blood tablets.

Ichijou's dream involved Zero sneaking, Scooby-doo style, into the moon dorm with a giant sack of skittles which he switched and ran off with before Rima, who was sleep walking at the time, found him.

"Ichijou!" Zero shouted, successfully snapping him out of his dreaming.

"Sorry, sorry!" he muttered holding his hands up in defence.

"Do you understand now?" Zero asked.

"Yeah, I get it," Ichijou frowned. "Has it been working?"

Kaname sighed this time. He sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"For the most part – yes. Her temper is shorter, she's eating more and more of the fake tablets which of course make her even worse, but the only problem is that she's stubborn and it's taking too much time. The others are getting a lot worse. They aren't used to not having food like this and the chairman can't keep the school closed forever. The nobles are becoming a danger now. Unless something happens to really tick her off then this will probably take another month; two at the most. We need to get her _so_ pissed that the idea of food won't repulse her because she won't be able to focus on anything but her anger."

Zero groaned "That won't be possible. We can't take that risk; I'll kill them all if they do anything remotely stupid. Yuuki doesn't get angry easily. The angriest I've ever known her was because of Sara."

Kaname's eyes met Zero's and a smirk spread over his features.

"Got an idea Kuran?" Zero smiled evilly.

"Oh yes… and believe me it's going to be one _hell_ of a party."

* * *

"What the hell is wrong with you people?" Yuuki screamed. "Get a grip and stop biting each others heads off!"

"Yuuki!" Rima whined. "Give it a rest! Please, we can't help arguing. I'm so _thirsty_."

Rima slumped onto the sofa, burying her face into Shiki's neck as he swung an arm around her shoulders in comfort. Rima, as if to emphasise her point, sensually dragged her tongue down the side of Shiki's neck; said vampire tried to suppress his shudder of pleasure but failed.

"That makes two of us," he hissed.

"Three!"

"Four!"

"Five!" Aidou, Kain and Ruka all called off in canon.

"Well, as we all now know, we are all dying of thirst," Yuuki hissed, barely keeping hold of her uncalled for anger.

"Kaname-sama seems fine… so does Ichijou," Aidou stated.

"Yeah, well, Kaname and Ichijou can kiss my furry little…."

"Problem, darling?" Kaname smirked, effectively killing every vampire in the room with fright.

"Of course not dear," Yuuki smiled, but her eyes betrayed her confusion and anger over why Kaname seemed completely normal in comparison to herself and their friends – all of who's self control had crumbled to that of a Level E. .

"Well, Ichijou and I are heading into town for a few hours. Do you want to come?" Kaname asked.

"I'd better not. I'm not feeling too in control of myself at the moment," Yuuki grumbled. Knowing that Kaname had already known she would decline only made her angrier. "It's the middle of the day though, why go out now?"

"Just business," he shrugged nonchalantly. "Nothing to worry your pretty little head about."

"Okay then…" Yuuki replied, suspiciously. "How long will you be?"

"A few hours; I'll be back before sundown," Kaname answered, swooping down and resting his lips momentarily on her forehead before nodding to Ichijou and leaving the moon dorm.

"That's strange," Ruka frowned. "Why didn't he kiss you?"

"I don't know…" Yuuki answered, still staring at the door with a frown. "More importantly, why is he going out in the middle of the day? Usually his business meetings come to him, here."

"Maybe he's got another woman?" Shiki joked, but his laughter ceased when he saw the furious look on Yuuki's face.

"He wouldn't _dare_," Yuuki hissed, her pupils turning crimson at the mere thought.

Without another word Yuuki hopped off the sofa and stormed up the stairs before a resounding crash signalled the closing of the purebloods suite.

Thirty minutes later Yuuki, realising how stupid she was acting, emerged from the solitary confines of her bedroom and ventured into the now sleeping moon dorm. Making her way quietly towards the kitchen, Yuuki pondered on the fact that the blood tablets weren't working and wondered if it were possible that their bodies had grown immune to their effects after using them for so long.

Shrugging it off, Yuuki walked into the kitchen and froze in confusion.

"Ichijou? What are you doing back so early? Where's Kaname?" she questioned.

Jumping slightly at her unexpected entrance, Ichijou fiddled with the manga in his hands and shifted uncomfortably from side to side. Yuuki then took in his appearance. Ichijou was wearing a worn out pair of pyjama bottoms and a baggy white shirt. His feet were bare and his usually impeccable hair was in disarray, indicating Ichijou had been lying down for quite a while.

"Did you even go out?"

"Erm… yes," Ichijou cringed. "We got to the road when Kaname said that I probably wouldn't be needed so I could come back if I wanted."

"Wouldn't be needed? Don't you always go with him?" Yuuki frowned.

"Yes…?" Ichijou seemed flustered, as if caught doing something he shouldn't have been.

"Takuma, don't lie to me," Yuuki whispered in an angry tone.

"Kaname went to dinner and said I would be really bored there so I didn't go. I wasn't supposed to tell you anything. Please don't hurt me!!" Ichijou squealed, and rushed his words out at a rapid pace.

"Dinner? Who with?"

"I don't know!" he whined, wringing the comic in his hands. "He didn't tell me."

Yuuki nodded and Ichijou took it as permission to escape the impending storm. Yuuki silently seethed in the cold space of the kitchen and furiously tried to figure out why Kaname would not take his most trusted friend with him to something as trivial as dinner.

Suddenly, Yuuki turned and practically ran back to her room. The door opened with a slam and she arrived just in time to see the screen of Kaname's phone flashing on his desk.

_Strange…_ Yuuki thought._ Kaname never leaves his phone_

Curiosity got the better of her and, against her better judgement, she walked over to the large mahogany desk and picked up the phone. The display screen showed that Kaname had received a text from an unsaved number.

Hesitantly opening the file, she read the text and immediately her world seemed to stop. In a flash of anger she allowed her power to seep out of her uncontrolled, smashing the windows and tearing apart the desk she was leaning against.

_Had a great time today. Hope we can do it again sometime all my love, Sara xx_

"It can't be…" she whispered aloud.

With a shaking hand Yuuki pressed the call button and listened as Kaname's phone blared out the dialling tone.

A noise at the end of the line indicated that it had been picked up.

"_Missing me already...?" _came the sickeningly sweet voice at the other end of the line.

"Sara?" Yuuki asked, her face hard and emotionless

"_Yuuki?"_ she gasped.

With all the confirmation she needed in that one word, Yuuki tightened her grip on the small device and hurled it with all her vampiric might against the far wall and watched with satisfaction as it smashed into small fragments.

As time passed Yuuki slowly burned a hole in the carpet as her anger kept mounting and mounting until she thought that she might spontaneously combust from its intensity. At random moments, small objects erratically burst into smaller pieces as she unsuccessfully tried to reel in her anger. However, after being suppressed for so long it seemed that she no longer had control over her emotions or her power.

The doorknob to her room turned and opened slightly to reveal a smiling Kaname walking in, seemingly without a care in the world. Well, until he noticed the lampshade flying towards him at startling speed. Swiftly dodging the glass fixture he turned an astonished expression towards Yuuki, whose anger was so out of control she was panting with the effort of it.

"Where were you?" Yuuki hissed, her irises glowing a menacing crimson that Kaname had previously thought to be impossible.

"I told you I had business to…." He started, but was cut off when the TV remote flew just by his head.

"Don't lie to me!" Yuuki shouted. "Tell the truth."

"Okay," Kaname sighed "I went to dinner."

"Who with?" Yuuki pressed.

"No one - just a couple of businessmen I deal with."

"Do you think I'm stupid? Blind? Crazy, deaf, naïve? I'm _not_ Kaname, so don't be so patronising and tell me who the hell you had dinner with!" she screamed.

"Yuuki…" Kaname sighed exasperatedly

Yuuki let out an angry scream as she turned and punched the wall so hard it left a small dent and a lot of deep cracks.

"I am none of those things Kaname! Sara texted you asking to "Do it again sometime"" she retorted sarcastically.

"Sara?" Kaname asked, his face visibly paling. "Yuuki, it's not what you think–"

"–Then why did you lie?" Yuuki smirked humorously. "You were sneaking off to see her, weren't you?"

"I didn't tell you because I knew you'd react like this!" he shouted back.

"Sara and I sorted things out over two months ago Kaname Kuran, so don't spout that bullshit to me."

Kaname gaped at her, opening and closing his mouth, trying to think of an answer.

"You must be thirsty Yuuki. Why don't you let me give you something to drink?" he asked sweetly, almost throwing Yuuki off guard. Almost.

"I don't want your blood Kaname. I want to know why you were with her!" she answered, yet some part of subconscious mind screamed at her muscles to move closer and drink the blood pulsing through his viens.

"Yuuki…" Kaname teased in a seductive voice, effectively weakening her resolve to not drink him dry. "Just one little nick, just to calm you down, I'm sure it will help clear your mind."

_Do it!_ Her inner voice pleaded.

Subconsciously her body moved forward a metre, closing the distance between them to but a few paces. Anger simmering just beneath the surface, Yuuki could not speak, argue or shout. Her attention was fixated by the sweet, sweet scent emanating from Kaname's skin. His blood was calling to her and she did not want to ignore it anymore.

Eyes darkening from lust for blood, Yuuki moved closer again.

"That's it Yuuki," Kaname whispered "Just a few drops."

Yuuki moaned at the thought of it. His blood seeping into her body, satiating the thirst she had felt for so long.

Yuuki closed the remaining distance, pressing her body to Kaname's muscular frame. His arms enveloped her as he took in the smell of her.

Yuuki could feel her resolve crumbling, her ideals on not drinking blood circling the drain. His scent was too powerful, too intoxicating to resist any longer.

They were both lost to blood lust.

Her fangs elongated, barely grazing skin as his breathing picked up in anticipation. Slowly licking his pale skin in an attempt to sooth the oncoming ache, Yuuki closed her fists around his dark shirt and pulled him impossibly closer.

"You're still not forgiven," she breathed, as she bought her teeth closer.

Breaking the skin was easier then she had ever thought it would be, and as the first few drops of crimson gold seeped from the wound she knew that a few drops would not be enough. She wanted more. Moaning as the liquid poured down her throat, she was overwhelmed with pleasure.

Lost as she was, she barely registered the faint sting as fangs broke through her own creamy flesh. She greedily drank Kaname's life force as he took hers in kind.

And yet, through it all, she felt the heat building. Just like the last time a Kuran had drank her blood. The heat of change spread through her blood like wild fire and she let the darkness of unconsciousness consume her.

* * *

**_See all done...wasn't it great. I thought so that ending has to be one of my favourites so far. I will try and put a rush on for a new chapter but i can't promise anything school work is such a buzz kill. It won't be as long as last time though lol_**

**_Please review there like drugs but better._**

**_Love y'all (feeling slightly mental atm...on a sugar high mmmm chocolate chip cookies yum)_**


	20. Chapter 20

**Hey Guys, sorry for the long wait i know it's been ages but you know school and stuff has been getting in the way. I'm really really sorry and i hope this chapter makes up for it.**

**Love you's all :)**

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* * *

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Chapter 20: Yuuki Kuran.

Blurred images swirled around inside her head; voices echoed, some sharp and clear whilst others she could barely hear or understand. In the confusion her head started to spin, losing control seemed imminent... then like a bursting dam her memories flooded back to her. Memories of happiness, love: a time before her human life, memories of her beloved onii-sama.

Fourteen hours, nine minutes and twenty-seven seconds had passed since Kaname had felt Yuuki's sharp fangs pierce his flesh; felt the first drops of blood leave his body and enter hers, sparking the change in her once more.

Yuuki hadn't remained conscious for long after that; her small body slumped in Kaname's arms as her body heat climbed. Kaname carried her to their bed and laid her down gently, knowing deep down, that he had done the right thing. Even if she hated him in the morning, he knew from the taste of her blood that this was what she wanted, to finally know who she was and where she belonged.

Carefully, Kaname brought a cold cloth to Yuuki's forehead in a vain attempt to cool her burning skin; something he knew would not help… but he had to at least try. Smoothing errant hairs away from her angelic features and behind her ears Kaname watched as a small, contented smile formed on Yuuki's lips.

She's happy?

A soft knock sounded on the bedroom door but Kaname ignored it, as he had for hours. Sure enough, not even ten seconds later, mumbled voices could be heard through the wooden door as Seiren removed the unwanted visitor, by force if necessary.

Kaname sighed, impatience getting the better of him; his nerves were on edge, he wanted... no, _needed_ Yuuki to wake and to still love him as he loved her. He had lived his whole life waiting for her to come back into his life, and if she left... he was unsure how he would cope.

Kaname chuckled slightly at his own thoughts; only Yuuki could make him feel this way, so vulnerable, so unlike himself... so human.

Wake up, Yuuki, my love.

Yuuki sighed and stirred slightly but didn't wake. Kaname chastised himself for getting excited; there was no point feeling like this so early on. He took off his shoes and lay next to Yuuki, pulling her gently to him and softly kissing her forehead. The afternoon sun shone through the cracks of the dark curtains of their chamber and Kaname hoped that by the time it raised again Yuuki Kuran would be with him once more.

Yuuki's head pounded, the blood in her veins felt thick and sluggish, as if her beating heart was struggling with effort. Darkness pressed on her closed eyelids and she began to wonder how long she had been asleep, and yet somehow she knew she had not been sleeping. A dull ache emanated from the skin on her shoulder and, without opening her eyes, she brought her hand to sooth the throbbing.

Her fingertips grazed two, not yet healed, puncture wounds.

Gasping, Yuuki shot up from the bed. A black spot appeared in her eyes as she shook her head to clear the dizziness that occurred from her rapid movement. As the room became clear again, Yuuki took in the fact that the room was in perfect order; there was no evidence of her rampage from what could only have been hours earlier. The windows were whole, the desk intact and all pieces of furniture that she had smashed, threw and destroyed in a fit of rage, were repaired. Yuuki laughed softly at the effectiveness of the moon dorm occupants.

Then something else came to her attention, working its way to the forefront of her mind. A feeling that grew stronger every second, a nagging that someone familiar, someone important was near and she hadn't realised.

"Onii-sama!" she half-yelled.

Turning around to get a full view of the room she was in, Yuuki's heart fell as she saw that she was the only one in the room, besides Kaname. Kaname?

Yuuki tilted he head in confusion; something painstakingly obvious was eluding her hazy thoughts. Kaname is here, that much was for sure, but she could also feel her onii-sama nearby and yet couldn't place him properly.

What's going on? Why am I so confused? Here's Kaname, but where's my onii-sama?

"Kaname?" she whispered trying to wake him up.

Kaname groaned and, in his sleep, flipped his arm over his eyes trying to block her out. In a vain attempt to see if her brother was hiding (a childish idea she knew) she tried calling to him.

"Onii-sama?" she hissed.

Then it clicked... sort of.

"Kaname? onii-sama?" she whispered, frowning in confusion.

"Kaname–oniisama!" she grinned.

Whipping round in excitement, Yuuki faced her fiancé and gazed lovingly at his face. Peaceful in sleep, Yuuki's excitement calmed, no longer having the heart to interrupt his sleep. Kaname always seemed so stressed, even though he hid it well; he never seemed to rest.

Yuuki smiled widely; here was the beautiful, wonderful man that had waited for her for years, Waiting, in the shadows of her life, watching out for her, keeping her safe yet not actively taking part in her life for fear that she would not want him. Kuran Kaname was willing to sacrifice his own happiness for hers and marry Sara...

Sara!

Once again, anger flooded in Yuuki's body, not as uncontrollable as before but still potent. How could he do that to her? What did it mean to him?

_Am I being irrational and jealous again? No of course not!_

Seized by a moment of pure childishness, Yuuki poked Kaname in the chest... hard!

"Wake up, idiot!" she yelled.

Jerking awake, Kaname flailed around for a second before regaining his balance just in time to stop himself from falling onto the floor. Yuuki had to restrain a giggle at the way his normally perfect hair stood on end and his chocolate eyes were hazy and unfocused.

"Yuuki?" Kaname smiled "You're awake."

"What were you doing with Sara?" Yuuki asked.

"What? Yuuki...?" Kaname frowned, unable to grasp why the transformation didn't work. Did she still not remember him?

"You heard me! Why did Sara send you that text? All mushy and what not," Yuuki asked.

"Yuuki, are you trying to sound like a gangster?"

"Kaname!" Yuuki hissed, her eyes changing to a dull pink.

"Yuuki, do you know who I am?" Kaname asked, downheartedly.

"Yeah, because I'm likely to forget," Yuuki scoffed. "You're Kaname Kuran, pureblood vampire, leader of the night class, my fiancé and my onii-sama," she finished in a soft voice with a smile on her face.

"You remember?" Kaname grinned, happiness overwhelming his tired body.

"Of course I do, silly," Yuuki replied before throwing herself at Kaname and wrapping her arms around his neck, effectively cutting of his air supply.

"Yuuki…" he whispered reverently. He pulled her petite body as close as physically possible and breathed in her wonderful scent; she was finally back.

Yuuki slowly pulled away from Kaname and looked into his eyes which were shining with elation; Yuuki had never seen him look so happy ad so relaxed, as if a weight had been lifted from his shoulders. Yuuki pulled her hand free and smoothed his hair away from his perfect face and smiled at him. He smiled back.

Yuuki then put her hand to the back of his head and slapped him. "Tell me now," she commanded.

Hissing with pain, Kaname let out a small chuckle.

"God, woman," he laughed. "Okay okay, but will you please calm down? It isn't what you think."

"No?" she asked sarcastically.

"No. I asked Sara to send that text so that you would get angry and drink my blood," he explained simply.

"So all this was to fulfil some fetish of yours?" she asked.

"No, Yuuki," he laughed again, kissing her on the forehead again to even out the creases in her skin. "It was all part of the plan."

"The plan?"

Kaname went on to explain everything to her. The night their parents died and what their mother had done for Yuuki, when he tried to find her but the chairman got there first, how he was planning on changing her before Rido did but failed and Rido made her forget Kaname. Everything that had every happened between the pair of them and the plan Zero, Ichijou and Kaname had hatched in order to get Yuuki to drink Kuran blood and stop the visions. Everything.

Once he had finished, he watched Yuuki in apprehension; if there was ever a time that she would run from him, screaming, it would most likely be now...

"I'm gonna kill him," Yuuki nodded to herself as if confirming the conclusion of an internal conversation.

"Who?" Kaname frowned.

"Zero, son of a..."

"Yuuki!" Kaname warned, stopping her from insulting her brother from another mother.

"Sorry!" she mumbled. "But seriously, he's dead."

Yuuki started to get up from the bed and rummaged around for her shoes.

"Yuuki, wait," Kaname pleaded. "Talk to me. Why is Kiryuu going to die?"

"He knew, that's why!" she half-shouted. "He knew you were my brother; he's known for weeks and he never told me. He's let me think I'm losing my mind, dreaming of a brother that doesn't exist when he could have saved us a lot of hassle and just told me."

"Would you have believed him?" Kaname asked calmly.

Yuuki paused; that was a good question.

"Exactly," Kaname smiled, pulling her back to sit next to him, holding her small hands in his. "That's why we never told you. You may not have believed us and even if you did, it wouldn't have stopped the visions; only blood could have brought down the barriers, the vampire in you recognised the same DNA and brought them down."

"She's a clever one, isn't she?" Yuuki joked, still frowning.

"You're a Kuran after all, Yuuki," Kaname smiled. "What's wrong?"

Yuuki was still frowning, looking slightly hurt. "It's just that..." she hesitated "You could have tried just telling me. I would have drunk your blood then, if you had explained it all to me; there wasn't any need for all this hassle."

"I know, Yuuki," Kaname sighed, sadness returning to his eyes for a time. "But if you hadn't believed us, then what? If you had ran from me, Yuuki, scared or disgusted… I don't know if I would have coped."

Yuuki looked at Kaname me then, his head hung in a deep sadness that had plagued him for years; he looked so vulnerable and lost. Only then did Yuuki begin to grasp the hardships he had faced over the years, knowing that his own sister had forgotten him.

"I don't blame you, I'm not angry with you," she whispered, pulling his head closer to her and allowing him to bury his face into her hair. "Onii-sama," she whispered.

"You're still calling me that?" Kaname wondered

Yuuki felt as if she had been punched in the chest. "Sorry," she mumbled, clearly hurt. "Old habits I guess… I'll stop if that's what you want."

Yuuki then tried to pull away from him but he held tight. "No, Yuuki, I didn't mean it like that," he assured.

In his arms he held, not the strong independent nineteen year old she had grown to be, but his little sister; young, scared and unsure of his affections towards her, as she had once been. A smile graced his features then, a happy smile; he finally had all he had ever hoped for in his arms, and she loved him back.

"I just never thought I'd hear you say it ever again," he laughed and she smiled back, relieved that he still wanted her after all this time.

Laughing, she hugged him again, elated to be back in his warm embrace. Kaname turned her head to him and softly, placed his lips on hers. Loving, tender and soft: their first kiss in her new life. Yuuki pulled away shortly afterwards.

"Dude," she frowned. "You're my brother!"

"Yes, and?" he replied.

"Should we be doing this?" she gestured with her hands to the pair of them. She was sitting in his lap on their shared bed, his arms wrapped around her and gazing at her in a not so platonic, family way.

"Does it bother you?" Kaname queried, sixty percent sure of her answer.

After only a moments hesitation Yuuki replied: "No, not really."

And, with a goofy smile on their faces, their lips collided in a searing kiss. Passion, longing, love and all their pent-up emotions from the years the spent apart were finally released and they fell into each others hold and celebrated Kuran Yuuki's return in their own way. **(wink, wink, nudge, nudge! :L )**

"Yuuki?" Kaname coaxed quietly, trying to wake up the sleeping pureblood. He received a grunt in response.

Laughing, silently to himself he tried to mask the amusement in his voice and failed. "Yuuki, wake up."

"No," she huffed, turning towards him but not opening her eyes.

Kaname sighed, still amused, and shook his head. Softly, he placed kisses on Yuuki's eyelids, her forehead, nose, cheeks, chin, neck, shoulders and finally her lips. She smiled into the kiss and when he pulled away her eyes finally flickered open.

"Okay, I admit, that is a damn fine way to start the day… night... urgh, whatever," she mumbled groggily.

"I need to go and sort out the rest of the night class; I didn't want you to wake and find me gone," he explained.

"Why?" she whined. "Why can't you just stay in bed all day?"

Yuuki rolled into Kaname and wrapped one arm around his toned torso, peppering butterfly kisses onto his chest. "You know it's worth it," she murmured.

"My dear, Yuuki," Kaname laughed. "I know, but unfortunately, getting you to drink blood was a lot harder than expected and if I don't go and give the night class some blood tablets then we will be sitting in a burnt out dorm with some very crazed vampires to deal with."

"That bad, huh?" she asked, pulling away from his chest to look into his eyes. Kaname was staring down at her with an adoring smile and warm eyes; it made her cheeks flush and heart pick up speed. "Fine... but you better be quick."

"Of course," he agreed, giving her a languid kiss before reluctantly pulling away. He wrapped one of the many sheets from their bed around his waist and walked across the room to his closet, making sure the sheet was secure and covering all that was needed to be.

"I've seen it before you know?" Yuuki laughed, turning her body towards him to watch as he pulled his night class uniform from the wardrobe.

"I know, Yuuki, but I don't think either of us trust you to stay in that bed if all was on show." he grinned cockily at her, making her laugh.

"Touché," she nodded.

Once dressed, Kaname folded up the sheet and placed it at the foot of the bed before sitting next to his fiancée and taking her hand. Yuuki brought his soft hands to her lips and placed a kiss on each knuckle. Kaname leaned and affectionately kissed her hairline.

"Goodbye Yuuki," Kaname whispered, before moving towards the door.

"Hurry back, onii-sama," she called, causing a huge grin to appear on Kaname's face before the door closed with a quiet thud.

Leaning back into the soft mattress, Yuuki let out an excited squeal and thrashed around in happiness, laughing to herself.

Ichijou stepped out of his room, rubbing his eyes. It had been a long couple of weeks for the vice president of the moon dorm. With Kaname occupied with Yuuki and her transition into a Kuran, it has been up to him to look after the rest of the moon dorm and make sure no one died… so far he'd been successful but his doubts were beginning to surface over whether it would last. _**Put this in past tense, as everything else in your chapter is. **_

"Ichijou," a voice called from behind him.

Turning, his weary eyes fell on Kaname Kuran who looked extremely carefree and relaxed. A small smile, undetectable to unknowing eyes, lit up his normally stoic expression.

"Please say you have good news for me," Ichijou sighed, unable to keep the exhaustion out of his voice.

"Kuran Yuuki is back with us," Kaname confirmed.

Ichijou sighed with happiness, his body visibly relaxing. "Thank goodness for that," he whispered.

"I'm on my way to sort out the rest of the dorm if you want to come with me?" Kaname offered.

"Are you going to tell them what's been going on?" Ichijou asked, concern appearing on his face.

"No," Kaname replied. "I think it best if they just don't know quite yet; let Yuuki grow accustomed to her new life."

"Okay," Ichijou nodded before falling in step behind Kaname as he made his way to the foyer of the moon dorm where the agitated noble vampires had gathered in preparation fro their evening classes.

The voices that met Kaname's ears were not pleasant ones and he knew that if Yuuki's transformation had been put off for much longer, homicide would have been the least of his worries.

"Vampires, please," he called, effectively settling the rowdy bunch down as a tense silence fell over the dorm.

Aidou and Kain sat on opposite sides of the room, glaring at each other. Ruka was watching Kain from a distance looking thoroughly pissed off. Rima and Shiki sat side by side on the sofa with sour expressions on their faces and the assortment of other vampires who occupied the moon dorm looked on, edge and jumpy.

"It has been brought to my attention that tempers have been running high in the night class of late. For some, their bloodlust has been increasingly difficult to control, am I right?" he asked and a few nodded in response, whilst others continued in their deathly glare feuds. "I'm here to explain why,"

That got their attention. Vampires around the room finally looked at Kaname for the first time since he entered the room and their anger disappeared and morphed into both curiosity and desperation.

"Somehow, in the past few weeks, our supply of blood tablets has been tampered with." Kaname announced, leaving shocked vampires staring at him in horror and disbelief. Ichijou shook with silent laughter behind Kaname. "What you thought were blood tablets have been fakes; the tempers and bloodlust that have been high in the past few weeks have been caused by the starvation slowly gripping each one of us."

Chatter erupted around the room; some conspiring to kill the culprit, others wanting to know if things will change. Kaname held up a hand and the room fell silent.

"The offender was caught and take care off," Kaname stated, with a malicious undertone to appease some of the more violent nobles. "A new supply is waiting outside and I would suggest taking full advantage of it; more will arrive in the morning."

Without another word, Kaname started down the stairs towards the doors. No one had moved yet.

"Well go on then," he urged.

Rima who, although had been hiding her bloodlust well, whimpered and darted out the door towards the truck that was idling in the courtyard outside. It did not take any more persuasion; all the vampires in the room wordlessly went outside and bombarded the truck full of tablets. Each one grabbed a handful of tablets and forced them down without even a sip to drink. Their hunger finally satiated they all apologised for their recent behaviour and gathered around Kaname.

"In light of this, I'm going to the chairman to ask for increased security concerning our food supply; classes are suspended for the evening," Kaname smiled at them.

Some stood stock still in shock; Kaname _smiled_! Others merely nodded and returned inside.

Kaname turned to Ichijou and handed him a small piece of paper; on it was a list of names.

"These vampires broke the rules; they fed," Kaname explained.

Ichijou gasped. "On humans?"

"Ones from the town," Kaname confirmed in a grave tone. "Take Seiren and deal with them please."

"Of course, Kaname," Ichijou nodded, astonished that some of the people he knew from the class had fallen to such lengths. Kaname would not stand for such behaviour.

Kaname turned on his heel and headed towards Cross Manor to deliver the unexpected, not entirely true, news.

Yuuki stood by the window and watched the night class vampires empty the truck in a matter of minutes. Laughing to herself, she inwardly applauded Kaname for his dedication. A lot of things could have gone wrong if the vampires had continued without blood. Securing the sheet she had wrapped around herself, she returned to the bed she hadn't long since vacated.

Deciding that there was little point staying in bed all night if Kaname was not with her, she made her way to the bathroom and ran herself a hot bath. Her life had changed so much in just a few hours yet she could not help but smile at the events that now assured her place at Kaname's side for the rest of eternity. She belonged with him, now and for always.

Once warm and clean, Yuuki pulled her uniform from the cupboard and grudgingly put it on. Her waist length, mahogany hair curled gently down her back and she moved back to the window to watch fro Kaname's return, unsure whether she was allowed to leave her room yet. Perhaps there was some reason she should not be near the others just yet. In all honesty, Yuuki reasoned that she didn't want to leave in case Kaname returned and she could trap him here with her again.

Yuuki grinned at her own ridiculousness; she had all the time in the world to spend with Kaname.

From the corner of Yuuki's eye she saw a stack of papers left on Kaname's desk that he had not yet dealt with. Feeling suddenly like a housewife, Yuuki left her vigil at the window and picked up the pile of letters. Placing them in size order she opened Kaname's desk drawer and went to put them inside.

But something in there caught her eye. A letter addressed to her and Kaname from the council of ancients. It was the same one that they had read together weeks before, congratulating them on their engagement.

"On behalf of the entire council, I wish to congratulate you on your engagement to Cross Yuuki... you are hereby invited to a celebration in honour of the happy occasion..."

Kaname's voice echoed around her head; a memory of what had been said that day...

_...They want us there so that we can formally announce the engagement, and so that you can prove your blood status_

_...They'll do __anything__ and use any excuse to stop our wedding._

Then the realisation finally came to her... she would be marrying her onii-sama.

"So it's all sorted then?" Zero asked as he walked with Kaname towards the moon dorm.

"Yes," Kaname smiled. "Yuuki remembers everything now."

"That's good then."

"It's strange that after all these years, I've finally got my sister back," Kaname explained happily.

Zero was momentarily taken aback by the change in Kaname's attitude; in just a few days he seemed lighter, more carefree and generally happier in himself.

"I'm happy for you," Zero nodded. "And for Yuuki."

Kaname had journeyed to Cross manor as he had promised; the chairman was now aware of the situation and knew that it was all fixed and taken care of. Zero had been filled in on the new information regarding Yuuki; their plan had worked and she was awake. The pair were now walking towards the moon dorm so that Zero could see his sister and the new pureblood princess.

"Is she okay with everything?" Zero asked.

"I think so," Kaname hesitated. "She seemed fine with it; eager even."

"Lovely," Zero grimaced as images entered his mind.

"Although you assumptions are correct, Kiryuu, I didn't mean it that way. She told me that if I had explained everything to her before making her drink my blood, then she would have done it willingly," Kaname explained, in a voice that betrayed both astonishment and doubt.

"You don't believe her?"

"I wouldn't have risked it; I can't stand the thought of losing her again."

The two fell into silence as they approached the entrance to the moon dorm and Zero followed Kaname inside. All the noble vampires were gathered in the foyer, each one pleasant and content again as if the blood lust had never affected them.

"Kiryuu," Kain muttered. Zero nodded in acknowledgement.

"Wait here," Kaname instructed. "I'll go get her."

"Get who?" Aidou asked through a mouthful of pocky.

"Yuuki," Zero answered.

"Oh," was his response as they all went about their daily routine.

Zero idled around silently, watching with sharp eyes; the hunter within him never truly at ease around the vampires. The fact that he felt so comfortable to be around Akira, never mind marrying her, was a miracle in his opinion.

A resounding smash, the sound of shattering glass reverberated around the dorm, causing all the vampires in the vicinity to fall into deathly silence. Yet, no shouting could be heard and so Kuran Kaname could not be arguing again; Cross Yuuki has never been known for subtlety or timidity.

"Oh shit," echoed Ichijou in a hushed voice.

At full sprint, Zero took off up the stairs of the moon dorm towards the bedroom Yuuki and Kaname shared. With the nobles hot on his heels, they sped towards the pureblood chamber all with bated breath; none of them wanted to witness another argument between the pair.

_If that bastard has hurt her again, I'll kill him this time..._

Zero's murderous thoughts were unnecessary. As the group of seven burst through the doors of Kaname's room they found him alone. Yuuki was nowhere to be seen. The windows, as well as all other breakable objects within the room, lay on the ground in pieces. Kaname himself was standing staring out the window in silence, barely even breathing.

"Kuran, what's happened? Where's Yuuki?" Zero shouted to him.

"Gone," was Kaname's reply.

"Gone? What do you mean gone?" Zero frowned, moving towards Kaname. The other remained frozen by the door in fear and worry.

Without a word, Kaname gestured to the empty desk; scratch that, near empty desk. On top of the wood lay a single piece of paper. Zero slowly picked it up and, casting a wary glance at Kaname, began to read.

It seemed to be a letter of congratulations from the council of ancients, asking Yuuki and Kaname to go to them for a party. Zero started to talk but stopped when he saw what was written at the bottom. In an elegant script that she must have learnt as a Kuran, Yuuki had written five words...

_Forever you sister…. I'm sorry x_

Zero raised his head in shock and looked at Kaname. The pureblood turned and all vampires in the room gasped. Staring at them with hollow eyes was the shadow of a man they once knew, a man who had just lost everything.

"I've lost her."

* * *

**So what you all think? Let me know... pretty please ! :D**

**Kita xxx**


	21. Chapter 21

Hey everyone!

**Wow it's been a while hasn't it? Sorry to keep you all waiting i know it's a pain and i don't mean to honest. Well here is chapter 21 of Love in an elevator i am sorry to say that apart from the epilogue this is the final chapter, i'm devastated i never actually thought i would ever finish it. I don't know when the last chapter will be updated i have uni applications, exams, 6th form stuff and work going on all at once, me time is a bit of a no-no at the moment but i will try not to leave it another five months like last time :s (sorry again).**

**I also want to tell you all that unfortunately i am without beta now! (So if it sucks ass then i'm terribly sorry) because VampireMaddy is so fantastical she has been stolen from us lowly commoners by University! How very dare it! So seh won't be able to check that my grammer and such is up to par :) Big big thank you to Maddy for her hard work with this story we hsall miss you. You are the bestest bestest bestest ever and we love yoooooou! Thanks m'love xx**

**Enjoy folks! x**

* * *

Chapter 21: Old behaviours, New arrivals.

Two weeks has passed since Kaname had found Yuuki's letter. Two long and miserable weeks but there was still no sign of her. Kuran Kaname had disappeared into his bed chamber after the first night searching the grounds of cross academy and, as such, had yet to venture out of the dark sanctuary he had withdrawn himself into.

Needless to say those closest to him were seriously concerned for his wellbeing.

"Still playing the vampire-in-the-bell-tower card?" Zero sighed, his tone of voice conveying nothing but exasperation over the purebloods' current lack of movement.

"Shut up, Kiryuu." snapped Ruka, who had reverted back to her fawning ways since Yuuki had vanished.

"Ruka, stop it." Kain pleaded, his frustration and patience running thin, a man could only deal with his girlfriends' sycophantic ramblings over another guy for so long.

"No" Ruka hissed "Kaname-sama is hurting right now; we should be comforting him not making fun of his pain."

"Yeah because trying to make him fall in love with you is really going to make him feel better" Zero scoffed "It didn't work before it won't work now, so get over yourself, woman."

Ruka, on the verge of tears, shot zero an enraged glare and stormed from the room. Sulking and feeling more than a little unloved, Kain reluctantly followed.

"He hasn't left his room since Yuuki left and he's barely eaten as well, going into his room his starting to become dangerous...even for me" Ichijou moaned.

"That's the last thing we need" Zero growled "A starving pureblood on the rampage."

"He'll get better sooner or later...right?" Ichijou asked, afraid of the answer.

Zero eyed the other vampire hesitantly, unsure whether he should answer. Sighing in defeat, he ran a hand through his hair and exhale loudly.

"Honestly? I don't know" he replied quietly, earning a groan of fear from Ichijou "Yuuki means everything to him, he finally got his sister back after all these years and she just ups and leaves him. It can't be easy on him, I've half a mind to track her down and slap her for him"

"Can you do that?" Ichijou pleaded hopefully.

"I searched the whole grounds and there wasn't a trace of her; she obviously doesn't want to be found. Whatever issues Yuuki has right now she needs to sort them out herself. What we need to do is figure out a way to get Kuran out of his room and acting like himself, at least a little bit."

Ichijou nodded in agreement "but how are we supposed to do that? He refuses to talk to anyone."

Silence fell over the moon dorm, the morning sun shone through the high windows, casting a warm glow onto the vampires sitting in the foyer. The majority of the night class were already in bed, sleeping.

The heavy, oak front door creaked open and a grumpy looking Aidou tumbled in, mumbling to himself.

"This is getting ridiculous."

"Tell me about it!" Zero and Ichijou chorused.

"Ichijou, here's Kaname-sama's letters. Not that he'll open them anyway; they'll go straight in the bin just like every other stinking piece of mail I've had to wait up for, for the past two weeks. Don't get me wrong I love doing things for Kaname-sama but this is getting old...my eyes hurt and my face is wrinkling look!" Aidou ranted, pushing his perfectly normal face uncomfortable close to Zero's.

"Calm down, idiot." Zero grumbled flopping down onto one of the red sofa's while pushing Aidou's face back to a more appropriate distance but not before Ichijou hastily took the four or five letters from Aidou's hand.

As Aidou loudly expressed his views on why he shouldn't calm down and how unfairly he was being treated by his peers, Ichijou silently perused the letters in his hands.

"Shut up will you" Ichijou shouted "I think I have an idea."

"Idea for what?" Aidou huffed.

"For getting Kaname out of his room!"

That got everyone's attention.

"What? How?" Zero frowned.

"Here."

Ichijou passed onto Zero one of the open letters he had been holding. His forehead creasing in confusion, Zero quickly read the elegant script flowing across the paper.

"A ball?" Zero stated, seriously rethinking his opinion of Ichijou "You think a ball is going to get him out of his room. You want to get him back on the "dating scene"?"

"Don't be stupid" Ichijou snapped back "Kaname may love Yuuki more than anything but his sense of duty is considered ridiculous...it says on the letter that purebloods need to attend the council meeting and, if we stress it enough, he will go."

"I'm still not sure it will work, like you said he won't even talk to you" Zero shook his head.

"That's why you're going to talk to him!" Ichijou smiled mischievously.

"Me?" Zero blanched "Why do I have to be the one to do it?"

"Because if you go rather than one of us, it will show Kaname how important this ball is, plus I know Akira-chan and if I tell her this is very important and you don't do it she will eat you alive." Ichijou grinned mischievously.

Zero cursed the vampire under his breath before sulking up the stairs towards Kaname's room.

The heavy door creaked open. Zero's nose was assaulted with the smell of stale air, he absentmindedly wondered how long it had been since a window was open. The room was pitched in total darkness and even Zero's heightened eyesight had trouble picking out furniture on his way around the room.

Grabbing a handful of the dark, heavy curtains, Zero pulled them back letting the morning sun invade the space. Once all the curtains were pulled back and a few windows opened, Zero started his search for Kaname who, even in one room, managed to disappear.

"Kuran I know you're in here." Zero called out while navigating his way around two weeks' worth of debris "will you get your miserable backside out here and stop acting like a baby?"

"A baby?" a voice growled from the shadows "I just lost...everything and you're calling me a baby."

Unfazed by the menacing ring to Kaname's voice, Zero just rolled his eyes. "Yes, Kaname, we all get it. You're hurting and we understand but Yuuki wouldn't want you to mope around wasting your life like this"

Kaname visibly flinched at the sound of Yuuki's name and his posture seemed to deflate, before he sank to the floor with his head in his hands.

"Kuran, you need to stop this. Everyone is panicking without you there to fix it all, Ruka is beyond annoying. Do you really think Yuuki wanted this? Do you really think that she expected you to fall apart like this?"

"I never expected her to leave." Kaname whispered "In my head, I always thought she would accept everything and that would be that."

"Nothing is every easy, Kuran, I thought you of all people would know that" Zero sighed

"Why did you come Kiryuu?" Kaname asked dejectedly.

"To get your sorry hide out of this god forsaken room!" he shouted.

Kaname almost laughed in mock humour, what was the point in leaving the room anymore?

"And before you start avoiding the subject I'll give you a choice, either you leave this room or I don't, I'll stay for as long as you do"

"Well make yourself at home Kiryuu; you'll be here for a while" Kaname huffed, getting up and walking towards the windows. Squinting slightly against the light of the morning sun, he examined the ground once more in a fruitless attempt to try and make some sense of how Yuuki managed to disappear without anyone knowing a thing.

"That's what you think."

"What do you mean?" Kaname frowned.

"I'm getting married in a few weeks, Akira will kill us both if anything goes wrong...and you're going out tonight." Zero replied, so casually it was as if he had just announced the weather for the day.

"No one but you said you had to stay" Kaname stated flatly "It would be your own fault I had nothing to do with that. And no I'm not going out tonight"

Their conversation, although centred on a relatively important matter, sounded so trivial that it almost seemed like idly small talk between old acquaintances concerning the weather outside.

"Aidou got one of your letters today" Zero announced pulling the crumpled sheet of paper from his jacket pocket "It's from the council..."

Kaname let out a low growl of animosity.

"Shut up" Zero quipped "It's an invitation to a ball. For tonight. And you're going".

"Not happening, so I suggest you leave"

Completely ignoring Kaname's defiant attitude, Zero read from the page. "`The event is in honour of momentous news that has just reached us; a new pureblood has been discovered'. What do you think of that? Pretty important stuff"

"Not important enough" Kaname shrugged, shuffling further into the dark corner.

"Nothing is important enough to you, there never has been. Look Kuran, you and I both know that I am not your biggest fan ok? I came up here because you've barely been feeding and no matter how noble your ideas or how amazing your self control is, I can't have a hungry pureblood on the grounds. I am asking you nicely to go out, get a bit of fresh air or whatever. You need to pull it together man, even just a little bit"

Kaname shifted, slightly uncomfortable with the truths Zero was laying on him. He was putting the people around him in danger, something he had always avoided doing at all costs.

"I guess you're right, but I still don't want to go"

"You sound like a child" Zero snapped "They say it's important, purebloods are rare and you know it. If they've found another don't you think you should go? Aren't you like a God to those people?"

"The Kurans are a well known and respected family" Kaname replied monotonously, an automatic reaction ingrained from a young age.

"Shouldn't you keep that image then?"

"Why should I care what they think of me?"

"Maybe you shouldn't" Zero shrugged "But if Yuuki ever comes back and takes back her name, she might want a family that isn't known for being hostile and reclusive".

It was a low blow, Zero knew, bringing Yuuki into it but he knew that she would not want Kaname to sulk around like he had been. Kaname was important to a lot of people, he couldn't just give up.

Kaname sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Zero, leave please" he sighed turning away from the hunter and wandering towards the bathroom.

Zero smiled inwardly, the pureblood sense of duty bordered on the obscene.

* * *

Closing the door with a snap, Zero was surprised to see a small group of vampires gathering outside Kaname's room. Ichijou rushed to the front as soon as a laid eyes on Zero.

"Did you do it?" he asked in a high-pitched, slightly frantic voice. Controlling the night class for two weeks had taken a toll on the vice-president. The vampires in the absence of their leader had started causing trouble amongst themselves which was starting to become a problem.

"What? You doubted me? I'm hurt" Zero mocked, making it seem easier than it had been. Zero had actually believed he would have to camp in there for a few hours and was glad to be away from Kaname.

Ruka let out a breath, silently mouthing something under her breath. A hand clasped to her chest she turned towards the men. "Now we can all relax that Kaname-sama is back with us, soon everything will be back to normal, back to how it was before." A small smile rose onto her face which had a slight hint of self-satisfaction.

"Oh for heaven's sake Ruka!" Kain shouted. The hall fell silent.

"Kain? What's wrong with you?" Ruka asked sounding slightly irritated.

"Have you even listened to what you're saying? How it was before? Do you mean before Yuuki came? When all you cared about was pleasing Kaname-sama? If that's how it is Ruka then you can count me out, I will not put up with your fawning anymore. Do you even care about what you're doing?" he yelled "What you're doing to me?" he added in a small voice.

Frowning, Ruka opened her mouth to say she didn't understand but the look in Kain's eyes silenced her, the anger and pain there caused a shock to through her.

Shaking his head, Kain exhaled and walked off without looking back.

Aidou, who had been staring after his cousin slack-jawed, suddenly burst into action, rushing after his cousin but not before giving Ruka a sharp knock with his shoulder.

"Wha...I...I don't understand!" Ruka exclaimed.

Almost laughing in disbelief Ichijou and Zero walked off leaving her to her thoughts.

"Unbelievable" Zero laughed "what a bimbo!"

"Never mind her. What was Kaname like?" Ichijou asked

"Quiet" Zero admitted "It wasn't pretty and I had to pull the Yuuki card but I think we're good"

Ichijou visibly relaxed and an easy smile came back to his features. "It will be good to have him back, even just a little"

"I swear I might actually kill Yuuki if she doesn't come back, Akira will be devastated" Zero mumbled

"Aww, Kiryuu you've gone soft" Ichijou joked earning a low growl from the enamoured hunter.

Zero and Ichijou silently made their way back to the foyer so that Zero could make his exit, he may have come to be a vampire and even sort of like a few of them, but they still made him uncomfortable.

Before Zero had any chance to heave open the heavy, oak door and step out into the warm, morning sun, Aidou came sprinting from a left hand corridor and skidded to a halt right in front of them.

"R...ru...RUN!" he panted, clutching onto Ichijou's shoulder for support.

"What? Why?" Ichijou asked, slightly panicked by the terrorising look in Aidou's eyes.

"I only just got away" he gasped, finally getting his breath back "They're heading this way, we don't have much time."

"What do you mean I've never cared about you?" Kain shouted in the distance.

The furious tone of Ruka's voice as she shouted back made even Zero's pale skin whiten "All you've ever cared about is what you want, not me!"

"Well if all you cared about wasn't Kaname-sama then maybe I wouldn't seem so useless to you, when are you going to accept it Ruka, you can't have him! He doesn't want you, but still you cling to him like there is no tomorrow. I'm just left on the sidelines, something for you to run to when he's too busy to pay the tiniest bit of attention to you so you can satisfy your own sick fantasy" Kain bellowed, letting out a lifetimes' pain and anger in one short burst.

A nearby curtain burst into flame.

"Don't do it, Ruka!" Aidou screeched, attempting to douse the fire in her own eyes. Many of the dorms inhabitants had been woken by the noise and came to investigate while trying to maintain a suitable distance.

As flame built up in Kains palm, his eyes betrayed the battle within him trying to keep his temper in check. He was angry but he didn't want to hurt Ruka, he would never want that.

"I'll do anything I damn want to" she sneered back, turning her gaze onto one of the nearby vampires watching, her amber eyes flashed violet, as did the mans' under her gaze.

With sudden and violent determination, the vampire flew at Kain intent on doing Ruka's bidding: harming Kain.

"Ruka! That's enough!" Zero yelled, unleashing his bloody rose and pointing it directly at the controlled vampires head. "You have three seconds!"

As Zero counted down, the vampire continued its route towards Kain. "Three" Zero said under his breath, as his finger applied pressure to the cold trigger. The bullet was on target, the vampire disintegrated into a small pile of sand.

Undeterred by the sudden death of her agent, Ruka turned her gaze on two other moon dorm residents who, without pause, ran for Kain too.

With deadly precision, Kain let loose the fire in his fist, letting it roar through the air towards the closest attacker leaving Zero to dispatch of the other. Aidou jumped in and used his ability to freeze Ruka's neck; her gaze could not fall on any others, her rage however diverted towards Aidou as well as Kain.

"Just you wait..." she hissed at them both.

"Ruka" a calm voice called through the now silent foyer.

Panic swept through the vampires of the moon dorm, those not directly involved in the fight quickly vanished from the area back to their rooms, without daring to make a sound. Aidou, Kain, Ichijou and Zero stood stock still as they watched Kaname descend the marble stairs. Zero still had his gun held out, pointing at Ruka in case she broke free of Aidou's hold. Aidou looked close to tears as he stared at the floor, Kain's pain filled gaze couldn't leave Ruka's face as hers drained of colour and rage.

"No..." she whispered, lowering her gaze to the three sand piles littering the floor around her "what did I do?"

"Precisely what I would like to know" Kaname said in a calm, collected voice, it was indeed as it had been before: eerie and terrifying.

"Kaname-sama, I..." Ruka attempted to explain but choked on withheld tears.

"When did you last feed?" he asked her. Kain took a step forward, confusion and guilt seeping into his feature, how had he not noticed?

"Since, Yuuki-sama left Kaname-sama" she murmured.

Kain moved even closer, perhaps it had all been because she had lost a friend and didn't know what to do.

"I vowed I wouldn't eat again until you did Kaname-sama" she continued half-proud, half-ashamed.

Kain moved back to where he had been, his hope dashed, there didn't seem to be any hope for her now.

"How noble" his tone of voice made her flinch even though there was no anger in it "however, my fasting did not result in the unnecessary deaths of three innocent vampires did it?"

As he spoke he lazily waved a hand in her direction, the ice holding her head in place splintered allowing her head to sink to where she wanted it to be. "You are to return to your room and stay there until I say otherwise. Rima will leave your room for another and you shall have no contact with anyone until I see fit. Understand?"

"Yes, Kaname-sama" Ruka nodded before walking away without another word.

"Kain, Ichijou clean up this mess" he instructed and both vampires sprang into action. A seething Zero followed Kaname out the door and into the sunlight.

* * *

A soft hum of conversation hung in the air, excitement and anticipation filled the room to an almost tangible level, the fires in the numerous fireplaces cast those standing near in a warm glow. And yet, it still seemed so cold.

While he nodded politely and spoke when it was expected of him, Kaname barely noticed the horde of nobles surrounding him, hoping to receive a small portion of the respect and acknowledgement which came with his title. Pureblood. The reason he had to be here in this godforsaken place, because they found another pureblood. Was there no end? When could he just get on with his own existence without being hassled by these idiots?

The others around him feigned polite interest in what little he had to say, he could see in the eyes of the women around him who, even though they wore masks, their longing, betrayed by their covetous gazes. How boring. While the elegance permeating throughout the hall far surpassed any other gathering in the world, the masquerade themed ball held little interest to Kaname. All he cared about was Yuuki, if only she were here. Zero was right; if she ever came back then she wouldn't want to have become an outcast from a world she barely knew just because of his selfish actions.

Why the council had taken to hosting a masked ball baffled Kaname. It was something they had never done before. Not that he cared all that much.

The orchestra played a soft, relaxing melody for the masses as the night slowly wore on. Kaname lost count of how many people had came up to him, wishing him well or asking about the academy. As was customary in the vampire world everyone, no matter how rich or powerful, bowed to the purebloods.

It all got a bit tedious after a few millennia.

A new presence filled the room, an unfamiliar yet powerful one. The new pureblood had arrived. The nobles, council and the few class C vampires in attendance all turned towards the doors in welcome, their faces awash with excitement and anxiety. A few wore smiles, many more had looks of reserved caution as they took in the newcomer. As if rehearsed, the multitudes all fell to bended knee and lowered their heads. Only the purebloods remained standing, those closest gave a respectful nod to their kin.

Now that the numerous heads had cleared, Kaname could clearly see her, she seemed familiar to him and yet lost at the same time. Perhaps he had met her after all, a long time ago. His silent spark of interest now waned as her watched her move towards the council members, why should he even care?

Nobody could deny the exquisite beauty of the woman even for a pureblood. Her soft, creamy skin seemed to glow in contrast with the black ball gown she wore. As it trailed behind her when she walked, the diamonds on the top caught the light, it's subtle charm exuded confidence and power. Alluring and mysterious. Her dark hair was pulled into a messy bun at the nape of her neck, while it seemed to casually thrown back, it had a powerful effect on the male populace. The majority of her facial features were obscured by the simple black mask she wore over her eyes.

Kaname didn't care to take notice, nobody could hold his attention as Yuuki had.

Silence reigned throughout the hall, her footsteps made barely a whisper against the marble floor as she offered a hand to the nearest councilman, a lower class one. Her choice amused Kaname, just a little, her actions had shown her displeasure with the leaders of the council. By choosing a vampire underneath them to greet her, she had let the room know that she was refusing their authority over her or her choices. Perhaps she would be an interesting one to watch.

The trembling vampire, gently touched her hand and, as if she were glass, pressed his lips to her skin. The other vampires in the room rose and continued their conversations. The pureblood turned towards the other council members, their faces red, some in anger others in embarrassment. Kaname saw her lips move as she spoke to them but her voice would not carry to where he stood. Without concern she turned from them and allowed herself to be swept up in the crowds demanding her attention.

It was quite a long time later before the new pureblood reached Kaname. As he stared into the flames, one of the bolder nobles came forward and told Kaname that he had brought someone to see him. The woman came forward and politely curtsied.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Kaname-kun" she said, almost reverently.

Kaname nodded in response, his eyes scanning the room, soon it would be acceptable for him to leave, that's all he cared about. The pureblood stood gracefully, her posture screamed elegance but a slight undercurrent of rebellion in her character, she would almost be interesting if it had been a hundred years ago. Before he met Yuuki. Her escort was called away by some other vampires leaving Kaname and this woman alone in silence. He stared at the fire while she stared at him.

"Kaname-kun?" she asked, timidly.

Kaname turned to her, manners more than anything. "Yes."

"You…Do...You don't remember me do you?" she stammered.

Kaname frowned, so they had met? "No." he said "You seem familiar, but I don't know you"

Was that disappointment in her eyes? Hurt? What does it matter? Nothing mattered anymore, Yuuki had left him. Nothing else made him want to get up in the evening. Nobody, nothing interested him anymore, only his own misery and Yuuki's whereabouts.

"What is your name?" Kaname asked, really looking at her face for the first time, trying to place her.

A sly smirk graced her features, any pain that was there a minute ago was replaced by badly hidden amusement. Her eyes held cunning and mystery.

As she opened her mouth to tell him, they were interrupted by her previous escort, who whispered something in her ear. A victorious smile erupted on her face and she allowed the man to take hold of her elbow and lead her away.

"Until we meet again, Kaname-kun" she smiled.

__

__

_Well that was strange._

* * *

"Kain, Ruka would like to see you?" Kaname said as he entered the moon dorm.

"Really?" Kain replied, hope and excitement in his voice.

"Yes. Be warned, any repeat of the last spectacle and you'll both answer to me." Kaname continued to climb the marble stairs of the foyer without so much as a look over his shoulder at the vampire he was speaking to.

"Of course, Kaname-sama" Kain nodded, solemnly.

As the pureblood rounded the corner and moved towards his room, the other vampires stood in silence until they heard the snap of his bedroom door.

"Your plan worked well didn't it" Aidou quipped sarcastically at Ichijou.

"He comes out of his room doesn't he" Ichijou snapped back. The ball had indeed gotten Kaname to come out of his room, and he had yet to return to the way he had been before but he had been steadily pulling back ever since. Not what Ichijou had hoped.

"It isn't over yet" Kain smiled before leaping up the stairs in three steps and rushing towards Ruka's room.

Ichijou sighed, Aidou yawned and they both fell into silence.

In the distance, the soft purr of an engine could be heard pulling into the moon dorm grounds.

"I wonder who this is" Ichijou thought aloud.

* * *

Kaname didn't even bother to listen to the conversation going on outside. The car that he had heard coming into the grounds had stopped right outside the moon dorm doorway. Kaname knew that Ichijou would take care of it, he doubted it was that important anyway.

The muffled voices continued below the window but Kaname walked towards the sofa he had occupied almost every minute of the day recently. Dropping onto the soft cushions, Kaname unfastened a couple buttons on his black shirt and threw the white coat of his uniform across the room. Rubbing his tired eyes and running his hands through his hair, Kaname prepared for another bleak evening. Lying back and throwing an arm across his eyes to block what little light that had succeeded in getting through the heavy curtains, he wondered if there was any point in leaving his sanctuary that night.

Loud crashed echoed through the empty halls of the moon dorm, waking a few and disturbing Kaname's peace. Slightly irritated, Kaname sighed when he realised the noises were heading to his room. Crashing through the door, Ichijou quickly scanned the room before finding Kaname lurking in the darkness. Panting hard, Ichijou tried to speak but failed, his expression frantic, his actions jittery.

Kaname frowned. "What is it Ichijou?"

Still panting from his sprint from outside to Kaname's room, Ichijou simply thrust his hand in Kaname's direction.

"If this is another invite a ball, Ichijou, I won't be very happy" Kaname sighed, reaching for the letter in Ichijou's fist and pulling it from his grasp. Ichijou just shook his head, getting his breath back.

It was a letter from the council.

"_Dear Kaname-sama, we at the council would like to extend our felicitations to you are your fiancée, Miss Yuuki Kuran, on your upcoming wedding. It is most joyous news…."_

Kaname's heart clenched at her name. The irony didn't escape his notice, they accept their marriage as soon as she leaves. Was the whole world out to make him miserable?

"Ichijou, why did you bring me this? Take it and leave" he half-whispered, offering the letter to Ichijou who had finally regained his composure.

"Did you read it?" Ichijou asked.

"Of course I did" Kaname hissed "If your goal was to make me even more miserable then you've succeeded. Now get out"

"Read it again!" Ichijou shouted.

Shocked at his friends behaviour, Kaname re-read the letter all the way through. Over and over again. Something wasn't right about it.

It hit him like a freight train. "Yuuki Kuran?"

"How would they know?" Ichijou blurted out "Kiryuu would never say anything, neither me nor you has, how have they found out?"

Kaname stared at the page, his heart pounding. He couldn't quite get a hold on his emotions, was it fear or excitement coursing through his veins.

"Who brought this?" he finally asked.

"A messenger for the council, but I don't know her. She is waiting outside, she said that she would wait and see if you had any questions. She knows what's in it! I know she does!" Ichijou rushed.

Kaname quickly rose to his feet, heading for the door. Making his way through the halls of the moon dorm, followed closely by a frantic Ichijou, Kaname passed Ruka's room just as she and Kain emerged hand in hand. Seeing the look of determination on Kaname's face and panic on Ichijou's the pair quickly fell in behind Kaname and followed them as they entered the foyer.

Aidou, Shiki and Rima who were seated near the stairs saw the procession and hurriedly got up from their seats. Kaname pushed open the doors so forcefully they banged off the walls, the small group of vampires following him flinched and poured out onto the stairs.

The car that he had heard before was parked right in front of him, leaning against it was the councils messenger.

It was the new pureblood from the ball. She was wearing a knee length white dress that came to her elbows and a black corset belt that covered her stomach. Her lean legs ended in a pair of black heels. Once again she looked exquisite. Her long brown hair shimmered in the bright sunlight. The sense of familiarity overwhelmed Kaname and he found himself wishing he knew her name. Hearing the crash and the vampires coming from the moon dorm, she turned and walked towards them. There was a fluidity in the way she held herself, she knew who she was and was proud of it. Too bad no one else did.

"How did they know?" Kaname half-welled at her.

She stopped, dark shades covered her eyes but one of her eyebrows rose and she shot a look at Kaname which demanded proper respect. The other balked at her behaviour but Kaname barely noticed.

"Please? I need to know, how did they know about her name? About us?" Kaname pleaded.

The woman smiled. "I told them, silly"

Kaname frowned. Ichijou looked close to fainting. Ruka and Rima shared a look, something didn't add up with them.

A flash of realisation crossed Ruka's face. "No it can't be!" she whispered.

"How do you know?" Kaname snapped, his anger rising.

Sighing, the woman took off her sunglasses, squinting slightly in the harsh light. "Understand now?"

Kaname gasped, so did the others. "Yuuki?"

* * *

**Argh! She's back! Now how wants an explanation i know i do lol. Review please i know i deserve hate mail after how long it's been since the last chapter but pwetty pwease be nice?**

**Love to VampireMaddy, we will miss you!**

**xx Kita xx**


	22. Chapter 22

**Well, hello there! *smiles sheepishly* my dear friends it has been a while hasn't it. Too long i'd hazard a guess at. I have no excuses, none good enough anyway but as with everything life got in the way. However, thanks to our beloved royal family i got an extra day added to my already extended weekend and rather than revise chemistry like i should be doing i was seized but my laptop and held hostage until i wrote this chapter.**

**Yes, praise to all technology. **

**I am afraid to announce that this is the end of Love in an Elevator. It's been a wild ride but all good things must come to an end. And this is the end. Finito. Gone. I could cry, this story is my baby :(**

**Before you read this i would like to take the opportunity to thank every single person who reviewed, alerted or favourited this story, it really means so much to me that people actually enjoy what i do. Every one who has been with me since the beginning who have my eternal servitude. Those who are newcomers deserve a big big hug, go on give yourself a pat on the back :)**

**Finally, i want to send my love and thanks to VampireMaddy, a good friend and a brilliant better who might not have been able to see this story to the end has been so helpful over the chapters. It's been a long run but we got there and it's all thanks to that wonderful woman. Your grammar and spelling are above par :) you really got my story going and made it the best it could be. Thank you so much Maddy, we all love you so very much.**

**Once again, thank you, sorry for any spelling mistakes and overall suckiness. Hope you all enjoy. **

* * *

"I look fat" she wailed, cringing away from her own reflection.

Yuuki just laughed. "Akira, there is no way in heaven or hell that you of all people could be fat. You look perfect!"

"No, Yuuki, you're completely wrong" Akira exclaimed "I mean look at this" grabbing a pinch of the skin on her stomach, on which there was not a trace of fat, as if to emphasise her point.

"You're being ridiculous!"

Akira pouted "some maid of honour you are, you're not supposed to demean the bride on her special day."

"Well, if the bride wasn't being completely idiotic I wouldn't feel compelled to point it out to you how ridiculous you're being. Akira today is one of the biggest days of your life, you are getting married today, to a man you love more than anything and you know he feels the same. You get to spend the rest of your life with him and today you get to show everyone that, while at the same time looking fabulous because you know you will!" Yuuki lectured.

Then, as if there had been no problem at all, Akira turned to the mirror looked herself up and down and proclaimed "you're right, I'm going to be amazing"

You would think she was bi-polar.

Akira promptly sat down and started to brush out her long, white hair while humming quietly to herself. She looked every bit the happy bride-to-be. Yuuki silently watched her future sister-in-law in case of another random panic attack but once satisfied that the crisis had been temporarily averted she settled back into her chair and carried on reading a magazine.

Not long after Rima opened the door and carefully walked into the room. In all honestly, she resembled a fearful zoo keeper afraid of disturbing a hungry lion.

"Don't worry," Yuuki stage whispered "it seems to be calm for the moment" while simultaneously jerking her head towards Akira. The latter, expressing obvious *cough* maturity, responded by sticking out her tongue.

With a relieved smile, Rima walked towards Akira and began, as she was instructed, to curl and style the brides' hair in preparation for her big moment. The crimping and styling was well underway when Akira decided the comfortable silence which had settled over the room had become "oppressive" and it "needed to be filled with mindless chatter".

"Soooo…Rima-chan…how're things with Shiki-kun?" she asked coyly, a mischievous grin on her graceful features.

Yuuki looked up from the glossy pages, a smile spreading on her face as Rima shifted uncomfortably.

"Good" she replied simply.

"Good?" Akira queried "or like goood?" she laughed sending a wink to Yuuki, who fell into a round of badly suppressed giggles.

Rima flushed a very bright shade of pink and cursed under her breath, however, she didn't comment on the subject which, given the circumstances, may not have been the wisest of decisions.

"Awwww, she's gone all red!" Yuuki cooed.

"It's one of the downsides of being ginger!" Rima hissed, through gritted teeth… her hair was rather a touchy subject.

"There are good points to being ginger?" Akira teased. Yuuki coughed in surprise and stared wide eyed at her friend.

Rima, with a gentle smile and a not so gentle tug, pulled Akira back by the hair causing said vampire to call out in surprise and pain.

"Ow!" she shouted "seriously, I was only joking. I like a bit of ginger-ness" she claimed.

Yuuki and Rima both shot her a disbelieving expression.

"Really I do," Akira protested "I mean, have you seen Akatsuki-kun? Damn that boy is fine!" she expressed in her best gangster imitation.

Yuuki and Rima both paused for a second before expressing there agreement. "I would do some naughty things to that boy" Akira sighed.

An amused voice from the doorway made all three women jump, "As much as I have to agree with you on that point, your appreciation for my man is not welcomed"

Ruka Souen smiled warmly at the other vampires but the look of shock did not disappear from their faces, which made Ruka explode into a fit of giggles. Her outburst broke the tension and soon the entire group were clutching their sides, trying to stay upright.

"Let's make sure that comment never leaves this room." Rima offered.

"Agreed," Yuuki nodded "Onii-sama would most definitely flip if he heard of this."

"And then my poor Kain would end up a pile of dust," Ruka stated with a worried look "never speak of it again."

"Hear, hear" the others chorused.

Ruka, Akira's make-up artist for the day, unceremoniously dropped down into a nearby chair waiting for Rima to finish.

"Heard anything from the enemy camp?" Yuuki asked Ruka

"Not a peek, I can't decide whether I should be worried or relieved, I mean they won't have killed each other will they?" she replied.

Akira, who had been listening in on their conversation, chose that moment to have another panic attack. "Oh my god! No, that can't have happened, it just can't. I mean, Zero and Kaname-kun are like "frenemies" now aren't they? Kaname-kun can't kill the groom. Oh no! I'm a widow before I'm even married. This is the worst day ever"

How anyone person can go so long without oxygen is beyond the intelligence of any earthy being!

Yuuki and Ruka rushed to Akira's side and as the minutes slipped by their frantic words and half-truths finally managed to calm her, to some extent anyway.

"I'll go check shall I?" Yuuki offered, wanting any excuse to leave the over-anxious bride to her worrying, and quite frankly it was getting a bit too warm in there anyway.

Akira's furious nodding was accompanied by Ruka and Rima shaking their heads just as rapidly, neither of them wanting to be alone with bride-zilla for any amount of time.

Smiling sheepishly, Yuuki got up and quickly bolted out of the door before the two night class members could voice their objections.

The cool, evening sun beat down gently down on Yuuki's skin but it didn't hurt her as the bright midday sun would have. Dusk was one of the only times a vampire could go out in he sun and feel comfortable in it. Quite a fitting time of day for the wedding considering the nature of the bride and groom. It would be sunset, almost night, when the two vampires would be wed, a beautiful backdrop for a perfect wedding.

A cool breeze blew over the grounds of cross academy, making the leaves of the cherry blossom trees rustle and a few fell around Yuuki as she walked towards the moon dorm, where the groom and his "minions" had shacked up for the night. She smiled. Running her hands up and down her arms, she inwardly cursed herself for not picking up a jacket or something to keep warm. It wasn't cold by any means but the breeze brought with it a slight chill which her shirt wasn't able to keep out. Her hand passed from her arms and over her stomach before settling on her hips and she exhaled loudly and grinned even more.

Her brother was getting married today. Who would have thought?

Yuuki didn't need to walk much further; the object of her hunt was walking towards her from the moon dorm. When she clasped eyes on her beloved Onii-sama, Yuuki's grin broadened and she hurried her steps.

"Onii-sama!" she giggled, throwing her arms around Kaname's neck.

With a deep chuckle, Kaname wrapped his own arms securely around her waist and pulled her towards him.

"My dear Yuuki" he whispered reverently.

Yuuki pulled back and looked Kaname in the eyes. His shone with happiness, mirroring her own expression.

"I missed you." she announced.

"And I you, my sweet Yuuki, even though we haven't been apart for more than five hours" he teased.

Yuuki pouted "I can still miss you, Onii-sama"

Kaname chuckled and sighed contentedly. "What is it, Kaname?"

Kaname gazed lovingly into Yuuki's chocolate eyes and smiled "I never thought I'd here you call me that again, I still can't get used to it."

"Awww," Yuuki cooed "Kaname Onii-sama, you're such a big softie at heart."

"Only for you" he grinned.

Yuuki blushed, as per usual, and pulled him towards her embrace once more.

Standing there, in her fiancés arms, Yuuki couldn't help but think over the past few weeks since her return. Her disappearance had caused chaos to ensue, something she had failed to include in her "meticulous" calculations, her plan, which the others had not been privy too, seemed inconsequential when compared to the uniform depression which had engulfed the entire moon dorm and its inhabitants. At least, it didn't in their eyes. Indeed, her return had not gone smoothly, some (read Kaname) had welcomed her back without question and with open arms; others (read Zero) had been more reluctant to forgive her misdeeds.

_**Flashback.**_

Kaname gasped ...so did the others. "Yuuki? "

"No it can't be" Ichijou whispered.

"Believe it, Takuma" she smiled, softly. While it seemed as if Yuuki was utterly confident in her reappearance, Kaname could see an undercurrent of tension in her muscles. She was nervous.

"Holy shit!" Shiki stated, eyebrows raised and eyes wide in shock.

Ruka stepped forward; her life and the lives of her friends had been in turmoil these last few weeks because of Yuuki's disappearance. Yes, she knew that she hadn't exactly made things any easier due to her relapse into her sycophantic ways but, Yuuki started it. Confusion possessed her angelic features, her amber eyes shone with unshed tears, tears of relief and anger, and her mouth could not seem to form the words she wanted to speak.

Kaname grinned, his depression lifted instantly. He moved closer to Yuuki who watched him with anxious eyes.

"Yuuki?" he repeated.

"Onii-sama" she smiled.

Laughing, Kaname closed the gap between them and gathered her small frame into his arms. Pulling her close he buried his head into her shoulder, as she did his. Taking her in scent, Kaname's heart panged with an almost forgotten sadness as his body seemed to crumble from tremendous relief. Yuuki sobbed silently in his arms. Neither of them heard the others mumbling in confusion…Onii-sama?

"What's wrong, my love?" he asked, worried but still smiling.

"I thought you wouldn't forgive me," she replied "I was so worried you'd be angry with me for leaving you again without any explanation"

"Silly girl, as if I wouldn't forgive you. You, my dear, sweet, innocent Yuuki are my world" he whispered.

Cautiously, Kaname began lowering his head towards hers, scanning her eyes for any sign of disgust or unwillingness. He found none so with a relieved sigh; he brought his lips into contact with hers. Yuuki smiled. Kaname moaned softly, so soft that the others, save Yuuki, couldn't hear it. Soft and warm and familiar, the kiss was tender, sweet, gentle. There would be time for a proper reunion later, now all Kaname wanted to do was make sure she was here, that she was real.

Pulling back, their "moment" was interrupted by a not so subtle cough from the other vampires who, despite their discomfort, were standing in the bright morning sun. Rima looked confused, Ruka: angry and betrayed, Kain and Aidou wore similar expressions of shock, Shiki remained impassive but his eyes shone with a subtle happiness, mainly because Rima finally had her friend back, only Ichijou wore a genuine smile, he had spent enough time with Kaname over the years to find her disappearance nothing too far out of the norm.

Yuuki pulled away from Kaname, much to his distress, but she took his hand firmly in hers and stepped towards her friends. Her grip on Kaname's hand became almost painful in her anxious state but outwardly she seemed normal….ish.

"Erm…hi guys" she spoke quietly, giving away her current emotional state.

_Silence._

Kaname opened his mouth to chastise the nobles for ignoring her beloved but a quick squeeze form Yuuki silenced him: this was her battle. Sighing in resignation Kaname returned the affectionate squeeze but stood quietly watching the scene unfold before him.

"Hi?" Ruka whispered, the others looked at her as well, thankful that one of them had spoken. "You've been gone for weeks and all you have to say for yourself is hi?"

Yuuki looked at her shoes, ashamed.

"Why did you do it Yuuki? Why couldn't you have told someone, anyone at all? Did you even think about what it would do to us?" Ruka was shaking with anger, her voice cracking with emotion.

"I'm sorry," Yuuki whispered "I didn't mean to hurt anyone, I didn't really think, I just had to go and do something"

"Nice vague answer there" a sinister voice echoed across the grounds.

"Shit!" Yuuki cursed quietly, her face paling.

Turning around hesitantly, Yuuki looked fearful as her eyes fell onto the silver haired hunter, who had been silently seething since Kaname's arrival. Zero had been on his way to see Kaname in another vain attempt of getting his sorry backside out of his dungeon, when he saw said pureblood ungracefully falling through the doors and heading towards a female vampire near a very sleek car parked in front of the moon dorm. Imagine his surprise when his "missing" sister casually went up to her fiancé and embraced him as if nothing had happened.

"Where have you been?" he seethed, yes he was angry but he was more upset than angry. She had just left, leaving turmoil behind for him to deal with.

Yuuki opened and closed her mouth but no words came out, she had never seen Zero look so hurt. Not in a long time at least.

"Did you even think of any of us while you were away? Kuran doesn't count, Yuuki" he spat seeing that she was about to say his name, "any of your friends? Your brother perhaps? No? Well we all thought of you Yuuki, have you any idea what's been going on since you left? Well let me enlighten you"

Zero stalked towards Yuuki, who squeezed Kaname's hand out of fear. The pureblood male, seeing his beloved in such distress sent Zero a warning glare which was categorically ignored.

"Kaname didn't leave his room for two weeks," Zero announced, Yuuki whipped her head to look at Kaname in confusion but his eyes had fell to the floor, he had been hoping Zero might just forget to mention his rather odd behaviour. "He didn't feed for just as long"

Yuuki gasped, Kaname winced, and the others stood solemnly. It hadn't been a pretty time.

"Ruka killed three vampires"

Turning to look at her friends' face, Yuuki couldn't keep the shock off her face. Ruka stood with tears streaming down her face, gently shaking her head. "I didn't mean to" she whispered.

"The chairman? Akira? Distraught, they thought they'd lost their daughter and sister. The chairman has literally lost his mind and Akira hasn't slept properly in weeks, crying all the time. Wait until she sees you, she just might kill you. Why, Yuuki? How could you do this to us….to me?"

His announcement over, Zero stood defeated. His head hung in anguish and Yuuki gaped at him.

"Can we go inside please?" Yuuki whispered "I promise I'll tell you everything"

Having lost a lot of steam from his tirade, Zero dropped into the nearest chair, his head falling into his hands. The others spread loosely around the centre of the room, each taking a seat in order to listen to Yuuki's story.

Yuuki slowly moved towards Zero, he didn't resist her cautious touch on his shoulder but didn't seem all too willing to accept it either. Yuuki dropped to her knees in front of him and wrapped her arms round his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry" she whispered.

After a few more moments of resisting Zero finally gave in, pulling his younger sister towards him and hugging her fiercely. "Idiot" he replied.

"Want to hear the story?" she asked.

"Damn right" Zero replied.

Yuuki waited long enough for all the others to settle before she started to tell her tale.

"I don't know how much Onii-sama has told you guys but I'll just get right to it. I am Kaname's younger sister; I was born Kuran Yuuki to Juuri and Haruka Kuran" she stated simply.

The nobles gasped, well all except Ichijou. A sister? That was something none of them had seen coming. Ruka dropped her gaze to the floor, looking back now her actions over the years seemed even more pathetic. Kain wrapped an arm around her shoulders, quietly comforting her in her humiliation. Rima, Shiki and Aidou all sat with their mouths open and eyes wide. How could it be true?

Finally regaining some composure, the nobles took notice of the fact that Kaname's and Yuuki's auras were strikingly similar, and not only in the "they're both purebloods way". How any of them had missed the connection was a mystery.

"I was hidden as a child, which is why none of you will have heard of me before, I had to be protected from our uncle" Kaname placed his hand lovingly on Yuuki's shoulder and squeezed lightly, silently offering his support. "When I was awoken as a vampire, Rido tampered with my memories meaning I could remember anything about Kaname or my real bloodline."

Yuuki paused letting it all sink in. It all made sense, after all they had all came across Rido before and knew what he was like, Ruka and Rima shuddered. However, it still was a lot of information to process; it still wasn't the end of it though.

"Onii-sama, Zero and Ichijou all came up with a plan for me to get my memories back. I can't remember how long I was asleep for but when I came to I remembered everything about Kaname." Yuuki's face lit up into a dazzling smile, one that made Kaname's heart clench with happiness. "When I woke up and Kaname left, I was just looking around. It was weird because everything was the same but it all seemed so different I wanted to get used to it all again. I saw a letter on nii-sama's desk and when I read it I saw it was the one from the council. It was basically telling us that I had to prove I was a pureblood before we were "allowed" to marry"

Her tone of voice easily conveyed how pissed off she still was at the council, her sarcasm seemed almost humorous and under different circumstances they all would have laughed.

"I knew what I had to do and I sort of just rolled with the adrenaline. No offence to anyone but I didn't even think about all this, what I had done to all of you, for a few hours. I was so caught up in what I had to do. I really am so sorry." remorse filled her voice and eyes and she momentarily went silent "Anyway, I had to find a way to prove to the council that I was a pureblood, a Kuran and worthy of marrying Kaname." she looked up and smiled lovingly at Zero before speaking directly to him "I did what you had done, Zero, I managed to track down that vampire from the hospital where I was born and took him to see the council."

Zero was shocked, he had forgotten all about that in recent weeks but it made sense, how else could she prove her lineage.

"The poor old man died right after he told the council what he knew, the memory spell that my parents put on him had destroyed his mind. The council was shocked; some didn't believe it," Yuuki said darkly "they didn't stay around for very long though. The rest soon converted, the ball was held to "present" me to everyone and then we went our separate ways"

"Guessing it took a while to track down the old man?" Ichijou asked quietly.

"I was at the council headquarters for four days in total, the rest of the time was tracking him down," Yuuki said quietly

"But, how did Kaname not recognise you at the ball, he must have looked straight at you?" Aidou chirped up, confusion colouring his tone, and confusion was something he was not accustomed to and he certainly did not like it.

"It must be one of her latent powers." Zero mumbled.

"Yeah," Yuuki smiled "I think that with all the hiding I done as a child and the fact that the Kuran in me has been locked away fro so long, I kind of took that and adapted it into an ability. I can shield my aura so it's a bit different from usual, throws people off my trail so to speak"

"That's how you managed to leave without leaving a trail," Kain mused, Yuuki nodded in agreement. "Seiren was not amused by the fact that she couldn't find you"

Yuuki grimaced, that won't be a nice conversation. "I don't expect you all to forgive me straight away, but you should all know I didn't mean to hurt any of you, ever"

Kaname hugged Yuuki tightly, kissing her forehead. "All that matters is your back with us, Yuuki"

Ruka and Rima managed to pry Kaname away from his beloved and enveloped her in tight hugs of their own. All the while Yuuki whispered "sorry" as she fell into tears.

_**End Flashback.**_

"How are you, my love?" he asked reverently.

"Better than this morning" she grimaced, vividly remembering her appointment with the porcelain God earlier this morning.

"Think it was from last night?"

"Was either the shrimps or Yuuki had a bit too much to drink." Yuuki sighed, pressing her face into Kaname's chest. "It's gone now though, I feel fine."

"As long as you're ok Miss Kuran" Kaname said in an amused tone.

"Not long now" Yuuki smiled "Then you're stuck with me for eternity."

"What more could a man want?" Kaname teased.

Leaning down, Kaname gently pressed his lips to hers and lovingly stroked his fingers down her spine.

"How's Akira-chan?" he asked

"Panicking. Zero?"

"About ready to faint" he grinned

"Oh wedded bliss!" Yuuki laughed "They've got nothing on us."

"That is very true, my Yuuki"

"Onii-sama?" Yuuki whispered.

As always, Kaname's eyes lit with unmasked pleasure at the name and he adoringly gazed into her brown eyes. "Yes?"

"I love you" she smiled.

"As I love you." he replied softly, kissing her again. The pair parted and slowly began their way back, returning to their respective charges.

The rest of the day passed smoothly, with the exception of one more panic attack from Akira and a slight wrestling match between the men attempting to keep Zero away from the liquor cabinet. The time was nearly upon them. Kiryuu Zero was getting married, and willingly at that.

Yuuki and Akira were spending a few moments alone before the ceremony began. Yuuki gazed up at her soon to be sister-in-law and smiled softly. Akira's wedding dress had been "stolen" from her family home by her grandmother, the Sato clan had still not forgiven Akira for falling in love with an ex-human, let alone marrying him, but Akira still wanted to get married in her mothers wedding dress. It had been a tradition and even if she wouldn't admit it, she missed her family more than she could express.

As Akira gazed at herself in the mirror, her eyes off in a far-away daydream, Yuuki cleared her throat. "Are you sure about this, Akira?" she asked quietly "I know, Zero is my brother but I want you to be happy too. Plus, it's my duty to make sure, is this really what you want?"

Akira smiled, "I love him, Yuuki" she replied tenderly "He's everything I've always wanted and all the things I never knew I needed. I just want to be with him"

Yuuki nodded and pulled her friend into a tight hug. "You're going to blow him away." she whispered.

It was true, Akira looked stunning. The dress was ivory. Clean and pristine. The sweetheart neckline on the front plunged slightly at the back exposing the skin on her shoulders. The bodice was fitted and clung to Akira's body like a glove. It was adorned with delicate crystals and lace in floral patterns that spread to her hips. The skirt bustled at her right thigh and fell elegantly to the floor. It was exquisite. Akira's platinum hair had been styled in a classic up-do and the overall effect was beyond words.

Akira smiled broadly, tears of happiness forming in her eyes.

"Oh no you don't!" Yuuki half-shouted "No crying yet, not until after the "I do" part."

"I'm just so happy, Yuuki."

"I know, now come on, it's nearly time" Yuuki urged.

Akira let out an excited squeal and, grabbing Yuuki's hand, started towards the door.

The ceremony was going to take place in one of the most majestic part of the Cross Manor grounds. On the edge of the lake stood an old willow tree, under which the chairman had instructed the hired help to put up white chairs, enough for all the guests. The female vampires of Cross academy had added their own personal touches, with fairy lights in the branches and assorted pink and purple bouquets spread about the scene. It was beautiful.

Akira and Yuuki, her maid of honour, were met by the chairman just out of sight of the guests and more importantly Zero. In the absence of her own family, Akira had asked the chairman to be the one to walk her down the aisle. Kaien Cross had more than happily agreed.

"Akira, my daughter, you look beautiful" he confessed, his usual childish attitude gone and in its place was that of a very proud man.

"Thank-you," she whispered back "he's here isn't he?"

The chairman smiled; in those four words Akira had expressed her own insecurity and uneasiness. Zero was not the easiest person to love, his temper and innate disgust for what was now his own kind, had most definitely been the hardest part of their relationship, but Akira was far from saying that she wished he would change. Akira loved him for all that he was and is, not for the man others wanted him to be.

"We had to stop him from coming to get you here an hour ago." he assured her, Akira smiled and it lit up her whole face.

"And you, my dearest Yuuki, look stunning as well" the chairman stated, his voice chirpy and upbeat.

"Why thank you kind sir," she teased, but then her voice turned serious "Akira picked it out, isn't it divine!"

Yuuki was the only person Akira had asked to stand up with her. While the others were her friends they all knew the importance of family and didn't question her choice. On the other hand, Kaname was Zero's best man, an odd choice considering their relationship but Zero later pointed out that it was only fitting considering Kaname was the one who "introduced" them. Akira had chosen a strapless royal blue dress for her best friend. It was floor length and ruffled slightly at the waist but it suited Yuuki perfectly. Both of them were breath taking.

"Shall we?" the chairman asked, offering his arm to the bride.

Yuuki nodded in the direction of the orchestra, the only people who could see them and the music started. You could hear the guest sitting up straighter, turning towards the end of the aisle where Yuuki and then Akira would appear.

With a warm smile of encouragement from Akira, Yuuki started her walk. Settling her nerves and praying that her clumsiness would not appear and cause her to fall she kept her eyes to the ground until the white carpet came into view. The carpet ran between two sets of chairs all the way up to the front where an excited looking Zero was waiting. The groom spared a quick glance and an approving nod for his sister before returning his gaze over her shoulder, waiting for his bride.

Yuuki smiled at her brothers' erratic behaviour, her gaze fell on her own love. Kaname. The pureblood male was watching Yuuki as she began to walk towards him, a wide smile spread across his features and a new found excitement for his own wedding forced its way to the front of his mind. The dress would be white but everything else would be so similar. Yuuki smiled back, the love in her eyes shone brightly and she no longer felt scared of falling. Focusing her every step toward Kaname, but still trying to keep in time with the music she clutched tightly onto her bouquet of white roses to keep herself from sprinting to her fiancé.

When she finally reached the front, the bridal march started. All eyes turned to the back of the congregation and waited with bated breath for the bride to appear.

It seemed almost magical when she did appear. A soft wind sent flower petals swirling around Akira, whose smile lit up the minute she clapped eyes on her future husband. Zero, in a simple black tuxedo, watched his bride walk slowly towards him. Eyes wide and speechless he took in her beauty as if it were the first time he had ever laid eyes on her. Yuuki could feel tears of happiness pooling in her eyes, her own brother was finally getting married to the woman he loved. And he looked so content.

The chairman gently kissed Akira's hand before placing it in Zero's when they reached the front. "You may not think of yourself as my son, Zero-kun, but I have never been more proud of you than I am now. Take care of her" he whispered to Zero.

Zero nodded, but didn't take his eyes of Akira. "I will….Dad" he replied softly.

Akira was shocked, Yuuki nearly fainted and the chairman actually did. Sighing Kaname gently picked up the eccentric chairman and placed him carefully in his chair in the front row. Luckily, they had prepared for such a situation and various cameras were both photographing and recording the ceremony for his benefit.

In all honesty, Yuuki could barely remember the ceremony. Once it started, her gaze became fixed on Kaname who was standing directly opposite her, staring right back. She imagined it was her own wedding, which was not yet planned but wasn't long in coming. Yuuki became slightly jealous of Zero and Akira, their small family gathering was exactly what Yuuki would imagine her perfect wedding to be like, but because of her and Kaname's blood status their own wedding was set to be an illustrious affair but she didn't care too much. As long as she got her beloved Onii-sama to herself for all eternity, nothing else mattered. The way Kaname gazed at her, so lovingly, so reverently, set Yuuki into a blushing fit but she still did not look away.

_I'm going to tell him, _she mused internally, _today._

In the back of her mind she heard the ceremony coming to a close and reluctantly turned her attention back to the happy couple.

"I now pronounce you man and wife. You may kiss the bride"

The crowd cheered as Zero gently pulled Akira to him and kissed her gently. Yuuki awww-ed loudly causing everyone to chuckle and the newly weds pulled apart, beaming. Akira squealed and hugged Yuuki fiercely and the pureblood saw from the corner of her eye Zero happily shake Kaname's hand. Breaking off, it wasn't long before Akira was reattached to her new husband. The couple moved ahead and ran down the aisle as they were assailed by confetti thrown by their over-exuberant friends. Yuuki and Kaname followed and Yuuki laughed all the way to the manor. Ecstatic that her best friend had found happiness.

The reception party passed without a hitch. Food and drink flowed, resulting in one of Akira's more audacious cousins to pass out underneath one of the tables after consuming one too many glasses of wine. The party laughed and cried, danced and sang with joy. Before the nights end and the new couple left on their honeymoon (a surprise location that Zero had not yet revealed) the time came to throw the bouquet.

All the females in attendance, vampire and human alike gathered in the centre of the dance floor as Akira clambered onto the stage. Well, with the exception of Yuuki.

"Why aren't you there too, my love?" Kaname asked her wrapping his arms around her waist as he stood behind her.

"I already know we're going to get married," she replied simply "I don't care when as long as it happens"

Kaname smiled placing soft kisses on Yuuki's neck. The pair watched as Akira turned and threw her bouquet into the unsuspecting arms of Touya Rima. The red head stared at her arms in disbelief then flushed an impressive shade of red and looking, almost guiltily, at Shiki. His face however held a soft smile.

"Aww look at them!" Akira shouted over the microphone, the guests laughed.

"Kaname?" Yuuki said turning in her lovers arms and looking him in the eyes.

"Yes, my love." he replied and gently swaying them as the music warped into a slow melody.

"I…I have something to tell you." she said nervously, biting her lip in apprehension.

Kaname frowned "What is it?"

Yuuki stayed silent for a minute or too, gazing into Kaname's eyes before smiling happily. "I'm pregnant."

The look on Kaname's face was one she never forgot.

After hearing the news of his child's arrival, Kaname wasted no time in organising his and Yuuki's wedding. The pair were married within the month and after the huge, unwanted affair expected by the council. The two Kurans reaffirmed their vows in front of their friends as they had originally wanted.

Yuuki and Kaname's first son, Raiden, was born in the winter of that year. He was the perfect miniature of his father with his mothers' fierce sense of independence. He made a very colourful addition to lives of the Kuran family.

After months of thought and consideration, Yuuki, Kaname and their newborn son returned to the Kuran family home and three other children were born into this world. Two daughters, Ami and Taira, as well as another son, Tadashi, all of whom were treasured by their parents.

Their marriage was by no means perfect. Arguments were common and notorious between Kaname Kuran and his wife, his over-protectiveness clashing with Yuuki's friendly nature. Their stubbornness proved phenomenal over the years but their problems were but mere bumps in the road. Their friends lived good, long lives and their love for each other only grew day by day, leaving them with happy and satisfied memories of their time together.

To say they lived happily ever after is an understatement.

* * *

**That's it...that's the end. I hope it was worth the wait because boy have you guys waited. I really hope you liked it. As always let me know your thoughts. I'm going to miss you guys so much.**

**Love you lots like jelly tots.**

**Hopefully this won't be the last time you ever hear from me. "Keep a weather eye out on the horizon" as they say on Pirates.**

**Bye guys, thank you, love you.**

**xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx**


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